The CityWars Fanfic Remastered
by Dem Druids
Summary: A remastered version of the original fanfiction involving an entire Garry's Mod community in a state of civil war. The civil war is only the first half of the story, however, as the aftermath leaves many things undone, and many factions weakened. The war causes paranoia among the community, and soon another civil war is fought between friends and brothers.


**Syntox's War: A CityWars Story**

(The following will contain all of the episodes of the previous fanfic re-written, along with an extra, new epilogue.)

By: Druid

_**PART ONE: UPRISING**_

**Chapter 1:** The Order of Raptor Jesus

Scout360Pyro prayed in the church, in total silence. He thought of the sacrifices he had to make to get into the church, and contemplated what else he could do to make it known. He had done all of the extra tasks the High Priest had given him, but now that they had run out as of late, he began to worry that there may be nothing more to do for the ailing church. In total silence, he kneeled, serrated knife in hand, the knife that all priests were given for the purpose of shedding blood in Raptor Jesus' name, unholy, villainous individuals would be sacrificed, leaving the pure and faithful to serve. He uttered the sacred rite, which was something all the priests had to recite every day, to maintain their faith and please the Raptor. After muttering the rite, he raised his head and whispered a prayer. "Our lord and savior, Raptor Jesus, as a devout follower of yours for a month now I have served you without question, with total loyalty. I ask of you but one opportunity to prove myself in your eyes once again, despite having done my worldly duties. War rages everywhere in this city and many priests have taken sides and died trying to spread the faith. I beg of you, give me the tools necessary to end the conflict and bring your light to the living, and your welcoming embrace for the dead."

Scout got up, and heard a voice behind him. "Scout360Pyro… the most proven of all the Followers. You ask for more to do and yet you have done so much for Him. That is admirable in you, your undying will to do better." Scout turned around and saw the High Priest standing before him. "Your Holiness. It is true that I wish to do more for this church. However, I am limited to the tools I currently possess, which will be ineffective towards the rats that infest this city and corrupt the minds of others." "And do not fret; you shall have those tools, my son. However, let us talk first." The High Priest said, and Scout nodded. They went to the High Priest's chamber, where the old man sat at his table. "Come, sit in front of me." He said. Scout sat and the old man began speaking. "Do you not remember how you got here, my son?" he asked. Scout said nothing and looked downwards. "You arrived as a lone wanderer, armed only with the knowledge to kill and survive, but not the knowledge to do it honorably. You staggered towards the gates, suffering from a bullet wound, given by…" "Grapefruit, yes, I remember." Scout said. The old man nodded and continued. "Grapefruit, yes. He wanted revenge for your role in the uprising from some time back. Had you not pleaded the way you did at the gates, the other priests wouldn't have thought any different of you from the lowlifes outside these walls. However, one saw promise in you. Using his skill in talking, he convinced me to allow you in. Your wounds were treated, and then, well, you can tell the rest." "I came to you, in this very office, asking to stay and serve." "Yes, you did. And I accepted. At first, I thought to keep an eye on you for disobedience, but you exceeded your training, and even did extra work when you could. I kept an eye on you for another purpose entirely: making sure you didn't overwork yourself." "Sir, I still don't see what this has to do with our topic of promotion." Scout said, and then realized his own impatience. "I'm sorry sir, but I—""Scout, that's what I was getting to. There's one final task for you to do." the High Priest said. "However, you will not see us for a full year during this task." Scout raised his head, and the High Priest got up and walked to the stained-glass window, looking over Bangclaw. "Scout… I need you to do this task not for the church, but for me. There is war coming to this city, and we will need every available man we can. You will need to recruit as many as you can to our cause." "But without confirmation from Your Holiness?" Scout asked. "You have served us long enough to know who is worthy and who is not, my son." The High Priest said. Scout nodded and the old man continued. "Find any man willing to carry our symbol and faith with him as he fights. This may not seem like a big task, certainly not one that will take a year, but then again, you must take said men to the monastery at Castlehill." "Castlehill? That's not even in 420 zone of control, that's Quantum grounds!" Scout exclaimed. "Then you will not know anyone. Therefore, when you shed the blood of the unworthy, you are not shedding blood of our countrymen any longer. We must preserve the lives of our countrymen despite these wars, and the time for killing amongst ourselves must end soon, because I fear a darkness rising, Scout, darkness only a united 420 can quell." "A darkness… how have you foretold this?" Scout asked. "I will not answer. That, which I have said already, is your task. Find men willing to convert, or have already converted, and take them to Castlehill. I know a priest there… an ex-follower of Raptor Jesus. He still knows the art of fighting, which you will need." "And after that?" Scout asked once more. "Then, you return here, and we wait for the darkness."

Scout was given a farewell by his fellow priests and disciples. One of them, a child by the name of Twitch, followed him into the courtyard. "Scout, scout!" he said in his high voice. He was barely knee-level with Scout, who knelt down and said, "Do not worry. It will not be long until I return. I pray thee well until then." He said. Twitch ran up and hugged him, and Scout hesitated before embracing him as well. Scout finally made his way out of the gates, and walked to the Bangclaw city gates…

Scout's journey took highs and lows. He had made it to Castlehill with 5 men, and was faced with an even more chaotic situation than in Bangclaw. He had taken part in many adventures, most of which were battles. Castlehill had been wracked with open warfare, and Quantum troops were deployed every second, only to be gunned down by armed militia and fanatical priests. Scout did an investigation into the matter and found out that the priests were worshipping a nameless entity, only referring to it as "Him." They went crazy, and the disturbed townspeople attempted to sack the church there, sparking a war that eventually called for Quantum soldiers to pacify. Instead, it became a hell-hole of gangs, mercenaries, and fanatic priests. Scout had quite the time trying to find the ex-follower, and eventually he did find him… in the tavern.

"Unless you're here to pay the tab or put a bullet in my head, I suggest you leave..." the man said sleepily. He had a short, scraggly beard, and a bald head. His clothes were dirty and beer-stained, and the cross he wore was rusted slightly. "We are here because you are told to be a follower of Raptor Jesus… an ex-follower." Scout said. The man snapped awake, and looked at each of them. "He sent you, didn't he… the High Priest?" he asked in a whisper. Scout nodded, and the man got up. "Escort me to my house. It's in the woods to the southeast of the castle." Scout agreed, and they took the safest route they could, which still had some highwaymen that they easily dispatched. Eventually, they got to the house, which was in a pitiful state. The man crawled through a small hole and the others followed suit, except for one, who complained only slightly. They reached a living room of sorts, where the man adjusted a couch for all of the visitors to sit on. 2 sat on the arms and 2 in the middle, while one stood behind. Scout, meanwhile, knelt in front. "I told that man that I had quit for good, and now you show up claiming to be sent by him. Why, why can't I just be left in peace?" the man asked. "This is hardly peace you're living in." Scout replied. "I never had a choice! The only neighboring country next to the Colonies was Quantum, and they have an even less organized law system. But it beats living under the tyrannical rule of the other, small forts." The man replied angrily. "But why again do you come here?" "I was told you train people in the ways of combat. Combat only Raptor Jesus followers would know." Scout calmly said. "Then they told you wrong," the man said, sitting down at a chair. "I no longer train people to kill other people. There's enough of it going on here without me supporting it." The man said. He picked up a picture in a frame that had been sitting on a table by the chair he was in and observed it. "I spent half of my life training various priests in combat. Combat with their knives. Then, they all went off to try and 'make something of themselves' in the world beyond the walls. All of them died, as far as I can tell. "Well, then a man came along. A man who wasn't any different-looking than the average mercenary you see in Bangclaw. This man had a bullet wound in his gut and was grabbing at the bars for support. People inside were debating whether or not to let him in, and I firmly stood on the ground of 'No.' We had never let in an outsider that wasn't officially part of our cult, but the High Priest insisted we bring him in. After we made that mistake, I decided to quit. I told the High Priest himself that if he continued interacting with the outside world like this, the order would be annihilated. He refused to acknowledge that fact, and with that, I left. Since he's still alive, and sent you, I presume the High Priest wants me back. Well, I will not return. I will live out my remaining years in seclusion." The man finished, pulling a flask from his coat. Scout looked down, and said "That man you refused to let in rose up through the ranks of the Order. He did everything he could to make sure it was still intact, often times overworking himself. He would rather die than see the Order fall, and the High Priest predicts a darkness rising over Bangclaw. Darkness only a united 420 can quell." He said. The man laughed "Now why didn't the old man send him, then, eh?" Scout looked up at him and calmly replied: "He did."

The man froze with realization. "My god…" he stammered. He got up from his chair, still looking at Scout, as if he was shocked that Scout had lived through some horrible disaster. He closed his gaping mouth and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, well then *Mhm* ah… it must be important if he sent you." He said. "Indeed it is. We need you to train us in whatever form the High Priest said you could train us in." Scout said. "Well, in that case, I should get to know your names, then. My name is Gregory, and their names are..." Scout nodded and turned to the 5 men standing behind him. "This," he said, pointing to the man with black hair and short stubble of a beard, "Is Pseudonymous." The man simply nodded, and Scout walked onto a short, shaved-head teenager with a wild grin on his face. "This is SaintJohnnyGat." Johnny simply giggled a little malicious tone. "This man here is Pie Lord" Scout said, tapping the shoulder of a man who had his face concealed beneath a mask. Gregory could see his eyes, and noticed some burns on the skin around them. Scout walked to the next man, who was observing his Deagle very closely, as if checking for rust. "Right here is AbstraKT. Note that he gave me some trouble trying to recruit him, so he may prove a problem to teach." He turned to the last man, who had a calm smile on his face, and a checked suit, rather than combat armor, which was basically what the others were wearing. "And finally, this is Epikly." Epikly waved slightly, and Gregory waved back, if a little half-heartedly. "So these are the people you recruited…" he said, eyeing each of them. "And you think they can save the Church from destruction, eh?" he asked. And Scout replied, "No, I expect them to hold it off." Gregory smiled and cleared his throat again. "Men, I will teach you all the art of combat with not guns, but knives and swords. Guns are noisy; you can hear them from a mile off. Knifes and swords are tools of the stealthy, and of those who wish to remain alive. I will teach you…"

And as the rest of the year progressed, training continued. The disciples protected innocent townspeople, killed the fanatical priests who were ambitious enough to attack them at their home, and did hard labor to build up strength.

At the end of the year, Scout wished Gregory farewell. The training was complete, and now he was to return to the church with his newly trained warrior priests. "Fare thee well, Scout. Send the High Priest my regards!" Gregory said, as he shut the door behind him.

1 week later…

Scout arrived at the Bangclaw gates with Pseudonymous, Johnny, AbstraKT, Pie Lord, and Epikly. He began to walk a fast pace towards where the church was, and when he got there, his eyes widened in shock, as he saw the church in its current state. It had apparently been besieged, as the damage to it was beyond that of natural order. He rushed inside to find many priests dead, and some bodies belonging to raiders. He searched for any survivors, but dared not call out for fear of more raiders lurking somewhere. He looked on the ground and saw the lifeless body of Twitch, the young priest who wished him farewell a year ago. Scout felt himself intake a breath of shock and he saw a mask on the ground, which Twitch had been hiding from Scout every time Scout checked up on him. The mask was white, with flame patterns on it, and two black eye-holes, with a smile on the bottom. Scout picked it up and saw inside, a message scribbled by the boy's hand. _Dear Scout, I want to give you this as a thank-you for helping me with training. I wouldn't have been able to do that move on my own! Sincerely, Twitch_. Scout took the mask and wore it. It felt comfortable on his face, and he could see well out of it. Twitch must've been preparing it for the annual celebration of Raptor Jesus' sacrifice… Scout loved those festivals. Scout got up and walked up the stairs into the tower, which had more dead bodies in it. He proceeded to the High Priest's chamber, where the man was nowhere to be seen. Scout looked around and saw that the library was demolished, with only a few books kept more or less intact. The old man loved collecting books. The stained glass window was shattered, and pieces could be seen on the ground outside. Scout looked at the other men and said "We're too late." Pie Lord and Epikly hung their heads, while Saint was busy searching through the rubble for anything useful. Pseudonymous walked to Scout and looked out into the city. "What will we do now, you know?" he asked. Scout grimaced and said "I suppose you guys got your training for surviving here." Pseudonymous half-smiled and walked off, leaving the others in the church. Eventually, all said farewell to one another, as they went to find homes in Bangclaw.

The church was taken down, with a new building unrelated to it taking its place. Scout holed up wherever he could, with Johnny tagging along behind him, as the latter had no place to go that would accept him. Pseudonymous took part in a gang called the Deluca Family, which saw a decline not long after. Epikly went his own way, and Pie Lord was promoted to Administrator, where he served Trop now.

Meanwhile, at the city gates, a young man and his girlfriend walked into the city, and decided to settle in a house for sale in the neighborhood. Johnny and Scout had a gang now, with Johnny in the lead. Scout persuaded Johnny not to attack them, but Scout knew one day that it wouldn't work…

**Chapter 2: **The Revolution

A few months later, war was still raging. Only this time it was easy to identify the combatants. An organization called "Overwatch" led by the charismatic and businesslike Druid, had seized control of more territory than most other clans in history. They had almost owned Bangclaw, with exception to the Desert and the Sewers, and those territories were united by the "Last Hope", another clan which aimed to restore autonomy to clans dominated by Overwatch. The war was bitterer than usual conflicts, as these enemies shared a blood grudge against each-other. Overwatch soldiers and officers raced about as gunfights happened throughout the city, and Last Hope guerilla fighters ambushed caravans of guns and drugs belonging to Overwatch or any of its puppet states. Druid was more concerned about internal affairs than external at the moment, and this led to many military reforms, which saw Overwatch turn from the average clan to a large military powerhouse. The Last Hope's leader, Aviation Duck, saw fit to siege Overwatch when they could, often going for the supply lines. However, no major reforms took place. The war lasted for about the same time as the Last Hope was formed, which was a month after Overwatch became a power to be feared.

Druid himself was in much of the combat. Every time Overwatch would raid a clan, it would take at minimum 3 minutes to clear the base out. Last Hope walls managed to resist this, but their allies suffered a similar fate. One unique thing about Overwatch was that whenever a raid was called, Druid would offer a chance to have the defender surrender. And most of the time, it was successful. The defenders chose to join Overwatch and serve it faithfully, and they got to keep their base. When other Overwatch soldiers raided, they often got the same results as Druid did, but when Druid himself called the raid, the soldiers were more numerous in number. One of Druid's top lieutenants, Epikly, had organized the targets and supplies. Druid organized the tactics and authorization of raids. Other officers merely looked after their squads, which increased in number by the day. A small clan of 15 men, grown to nearly thousands in a matter of months.

Druid was in the midst of preparing for another raid, when Scout had visited the Government Center that Overwatch chose as its capital building. Scout knocked thrice, and a soldier opened the door, and said "Ah, Scout. You may come in. Our leader is in his office, planning for an assault. This might be the winning strike... heh heh…" Scout proceeded to the left, where Druid was standing around a table with Epikly and a few other officers. "…and from here, we deploy our grenadiers. They'll bombard the wall and hopefully topple it. There will be sniper teams covering them on the nearby roof… here. Meanwhile… oh! Scout! Please, do come in. We are currently going to deliver a crippling blow to the insurgents, thus ending the war." Druid said, smiling. Scout glanced at the map and saw various pins on it. "May I talk to you in private?" he asked. Druid nodded and beckoned the others out. It was just him and Scout now. "I congratulate you on your promotion to Administrator rank, Scout. Indeed you have gotten far in your journey." Druid said politely as he poured a glass of gin. He offered some to Scout, who refused. Druid then put the bottle away and held his glass in front of him. Scout noticed that Druid looked odd without his combat armor on. He had a white suit with white pants, and a black tie. His face was also visible this time around, after mainly having a combat mask on it all day. "Druid, your…'war' is upsetting the admin council. They want to take action to stop it." Scout said. "Action? Why? I am merely making it easier for them. I'm keeping everyone under control. However, what those Last Hope buffoons don't realize is that I will not tolerate the scum of our society to live. Only the pure, faithful, and good should reign here." "Even when you're fighting against former priests?" Scout asked coldly, and Druid sighed. "Scout that was a bloody affair. But it had to be done. I couldn't let my men die like that…" "You couldn't give the simple order to retreat and initiate diplomacy with them. Those were possibly the last surviving order of Raptor Jesus priests in Townsend, and you gave the order to slaughter them all." "I gave that order because I couldn't afford to let those arrogant sons-of-bitches attack anyone else!" Druid shouted. "If you had just spared them they would've forgiven you!" Scout yelled back, and the two glared at each-other. "That action first raised suspicions among the admins. Then, your self-professed 'war of cleansing' is killing off potential good in those people. They want to take action, and you may not believe it, but I'm the only one stopping them." Scout said. Druid sat back down, and took another swig of gin. "So, what should I do? Give up? Tell the Last Hope they won the war? Dismantle Overwatch? No, Scout. If the admins want a harder job, I can do any of those things. But, I won't. I still have my hard job to do." Scout felt his communicator vibrate and looked at it, signaling that Syntox Turtles, Jason Bourne, and RedArrow arrived in the city. He got up and went to the door. "I presume that they're here for you. I'll try my best, but if I'm overruled, be prepared." Scout said, and left.

Syntox, Jason, and RedArrow were all together, when Scout saw them from the government center. He saw Syntox press something on his armband, and suddenly, iron bars appeared around everyone he could see. A lot of screams and shouts went off in the city, and some gunshots were fired. Scout looked with horror as Syntox removed the jail cells around himself, Jason, and Red. He then began to speak via a microphone, hooked up to a large speaker on the roof of the tower. His voice was broadcasted throughout the city, and it could be heard even behind the rocks in the desert. "People of Bangclaw, hear my voice, and think!" he said, and it echoed through the city. It was silent. He teleported everyone in front of him, still jailed, via the Admin Wristwatch. He dropped the microphone and spoke in his normal voice. "I am Syntox Turtles. The two gentlemen next to me are Jason Bourne and RedArrow. We mean you no harm. We merely wish to free you from this horrid existence that one man has put you through!" He paused to give it effect, and continued. "Tropical Trail Mix, the President of this 420 Republic, is little more than a petty tyrant manipulating you! He says that the payments you make to him are for the upkeep of the cities, but what you don't know is that he spends that same money decorating his own house!" Syntox cried, and a few murmurs went around the crowd. "People of Bangclaw, I beg of you. Support me as I attempt to overthrow Trop's corrupt regime, and bring peace and prosperity to this city, and hopefully others." A full second passed before the one word was uttered by the crowd. "BULLSHIT!" they shouted in unison, and Syntox's smile fell. He looked at Jason, who freed one civilian woman and dragged her to Syntox. Syntox spawned a cinderblock with his wristwatch, and Jason put the woman's head down on it. Scout realized what they were about to do, and Jason pulled out his katana. Scout turned his head just before a *thunk* was heard, along with the ringing of steel. There were screams from the crowd, and Syntox pulled another civilian out from the cages. "I beg you to re-consider, people. I will not tolerate disobedience!" He cried. And when no clear answer was given, another civilian was beheaded. Scout tried to get through the bars, but found that even his wristwatch wasn't working. Syntox had Jason pluck one more civilian, but before he could order Jason to bring them back, a gunshot rang out that hit Syntox's Administration Gauntlet, damaging it heavily. He turned around along with Red and Jason, and saw Trop standing at the gates, with Kush and Tangodown by his side. Trop dashed forward with his dual Elites, shooting mainly at the locks on the cages. Kush disarmed Jason of his katana with a kick, and Red was brought to the ground by Tango, who had tackled him with knife in hand. The civilians went into a panic, running everywhere. Scout could see Last Hope soldiers trying to form up in ranks to shoot RedArrow, who casually tossed a frag grenade over his shoulder at them, wiping them out. He smiled and merely went on fighting Tango. Scout also saw Druid organizing the Overwatch soldiers to lead the civilians to their homes. Scout himself was freed, and he saw Pie Lord and Pseudonymous race at him. "Get to the tower!" they shouted over the gunfire. Scout ran with them, and eventually they picked up Johnny along the way. They ran to the base of the tower, where they met up with AbstraKT. The 5 climbed up the ladder and holed up there for the remainder of the fight. Eventually, Trop was heard giving the order to retreat, leaving Syntox, Red, and Jason exhausted.

**Chapter 3:** Syntox City

The civilians had a hard time sleeping that night. When they finally woke up the next morning, they awoke to the intercom sounding again. Syntox's voice broadcasted all throughout the city, and they could hear it well. "People of the Free Republic of Bangclaw. Welcome to your new lives. From here on out, you will be working tirelessly to build a new age, the age of freedom. Your disagreement yesterday is forgiven by me. Now, let us commence living peacefully, and in a new era of prosperity." And with some propaganda music, the intercom went silent. Druid snapped awake and found that the soldiers were at their usual posts on the walls at the government center. He also saw, with his binoculars, that the Last Hope soldiers were absent from their own walls. He looked down at the artillery inside the walls, and decided to commence a bombardment on them. "Prepare to fire upon the designated target." He said to the crews below, and they loaded up the shells inside the guns. He looked on the base and raised his hand, and then saw someone walking along the street, towards them. They had a suit on, and looked very businesslike. In fact, they had a pin on their shirt, presumably with their name. Druid sighed and lowered his arm, and the soldiers eased away from the guns. "Who is this that comes here? Be aware that cannons will be firing soon, and I'd rather not have your eardrums pop." He said. The woman down below simply smiled and said "Oh, my apologies, but I come here on behalf of Syntox Turtles, our President. You see, I have here…" she rummaged through her bag, "a document, for a man by the name of 'Druid'" She said. Druid looked around, as if nobody by that name was there. "Sorry, no Druid in sight, ma'am." "Very funny. I was given a picture as well." She said, still smiling. "Damnit." Druid whispered under his breath, and the lady continued. "This document has been signed by Syntox Turtles himself, ordering your clan and the Last Hope to lay down their arms and end the war, to help with the maintaining of this Republic." Druid glared at her. "_What_." He snarled. The lady was oblivious to the hostility, and continued. "It's nothing too heavy to carry. You save lives, and this land can be peaceful once again. Plus, the economy will be raised." Druid stood up straight, and so did the lady. The soldiers around them watched as they looked at each-other for a full 5 seconds. "Give me time to consider." He said. "But during that time, I will still attack them. You must understand that they are barbarians, terrorists. We, Overwatch, were the police force before Syntox took over." He said. The woman nodded and opened her mouth, but Druid continued. "But, if you are telling me and my men what and what not to do in our own war, then you are considered just a third party. Syntox included. I do not bow to him as you would. Therefore, consider us independent until we officially pledge our allegiance." He said. The woman opened her mouth again, as if in protest, but then thought better of it and simply said, "Good day."

Scout360Pyro, in the meantime, woke up with a start. This was the first day under this new regime, and Syntox knew he was there. He still couldn't believe Syntox revolted against Trop and wrestled Bangclaw out of his grip. He got up and saw that AbstraKT, Pseudonymous, and Pie Lord were still asleep. Johnny was incessantly banging a rock against the wood floor in the room below, cooing a little tune to himself. Scout yawned and looked out the window. It was too quiet. Nobody on the streets… except he saw a woman who looked like a secretary walking away from the Overwatch Stronghold, with Druid at the gates. Scout took an AWP and looked through the scope at Druid, who waved at him. Scout waved back and called Druid via communicator. "Hey… saw a lady walking away from your base." He said. He heard Druid scoff and say "Yeah… one of Syntox's emissaries. I told her that we remain independent until we pledge fealty when we decide." He said. Scout sighed and said "So, what else did she want?" "She wanted us to lay down arms and make peace with the insurgency." Druid said. "Well, that is a noble thing to accept." Scout complimented, and Druid replied "I didn't accept it. Which brought me to the topic of Overwatch being independent. But hey, either things get better during this new regime, or they won't."

Later that day, a large crowd of protestors gathered outside the Desert Town, where Syntox had temporarily moved his base of operations. Druid called Scout again to report. "I have men on top of a building overlooking the desert… the protestors aren't armed, they say. I am there with them personally." He said. Scout looked out the window through the sniper scope again and saw the scene. Bottles thrown, shouting, and picket signs were the average thing in riots. The four others were with Scout, and taking turns seeing out of the scope, except Johnny, who wasn't trusted with the rifle.

The riot was ongoing, and Druid observed the whole thing. He looked into the city and saw Syntox himself standing in the square, talking with a few soldiers. "Wait, what…" Druid began, and Scout said "Yep, I see them. Looks like they have tags on them, unique ones to symbolize their loyalty to the Republic." Druid looked closer and saw the symbol, which was a simple circle. "Really. A green circle. Syntox doesn't have imag—" He was cut short by the sound of gunfire, and he and Scout rapidly scoped in to see what was going on. The crowd was being shot down in their hundreds by the soldiers, and Syntox himself was joining in the killings. "This is maniacal…" Scout murmured, and Druid shouted to his men. "ARTILLERY! FIRE ON THE DESERT TOWN!" he shouted. The cannons fired, and Druid saw projectiles soar overhead. Then suddenly, the shots were deflected by a pulse of energy, absorbing them. Druid was horrified… Syntox had managed to make a spherical shield around the town. Scout jumped back, astounded that this technology even existed. He looked to his companions, who were equally shocked. He heard the Overwatch horns blare the retreat signal, and Scout decided it wasn't a good time to stick around. "Come on, we have to leave Bangclaw. Before Syntox levels the place." He said to the party, and they all descended down the ladder. Overwatch troops left the city via Escalades, and Scout and the rest of the crew made it out with them. Scout looked behind him at the city he had lived in and noticed that so much had changed. "Alright, Druid has orders for us to go to California. Biotech soldiers there are in need of support." The driver said. "Why are they in need? Bangclaw was the only city affected by the takeover." Scout asked. "Well, we're getting reports all over of armed personnel attacking anything and everything in Syntox's name. Bangclaw's the seat of their uprising now. They've already occupied Townsend, which wasn't defended by any party at all." "Not even you Overwatch soldiers?" Pie Lord said. "We had to pull them out to reinforce Cosmoscity." The driver said. "Alright, we're inside Cali… let's get our shit together and find a better vehicle!" he yelled.

**Chapter 4:** The Evacuation

Scout hopped out of the vehicle and saw a widespread battle. Yellow-clad Overwatch and maroon-clad Biotech soldiers were shooting down Syntox's troops where they could whilst evacuating the city of civilians and themselves. The gas station was already blown up long before, and charred cars and bodies were on the ground near it. Scout heard a whooping sound overhead. "Fucking shit, shoot down that damned chopper!" One officer said, and Scout's head turned to the sky, where he saw a helicopter hovering over a building, deploying more troops. Scout noticed the logo on the chopper and realized that it was manufactured by W.A.C. "This complicates things…" he said under his breath. W.A.C. made very reliable helicopters and jets. If Syntox had access to them… "INCOMING!" A soldier shouted, and the side of the hotel building blew up. Jets soared overhead, and the soldiers instinctively started firing upwards. A VTOL of Overwatch attempted to land, and the doors opened so troops could pile out, but it was destroyed by a gunship hovering over the hotel. Militia aircraft, mainly biplanes, tried hard to shoot down the enemy jets, but failed to turn fast enough, and many pilots were shot down. Scout saw more of Syntox's troops coming out of the tunnel ahead, and picked up a Galil assault rifle from a fallen Biotech soldier. He raised it and unloaded a clip into the soldiers, who fell to the ground. He searched their bodies and switched rifles, this time finding extra clips. Bullets whizzed past him and he dashed back to the gas station, where a few more Biotech soldiers were holed up. "Get down, civilian!" An officer shouted, and Scout obliged, taking cover behind the counter they were at. "Why are you still here? I thought they'd send evac about now!" Scout was about to answer when he heard whistling that made his blood run cold. "MORTARS!" He screamed, and covered his head. They rocked the ground outside, and Scout could see, from the corner of his eye, a tank exploding from a direct hit. "Shit, that was the only armor we had in the garrison." The officer said. "Why isn't evac here yet?" He asked again, and then he picked up his communicator and asked a third time. He got a response from HQ. "Sergeant Black, we acknowledge your request, sending evacuation teams now in form of two large VTOLs, they will help you and your men out of there." "Understood on the VTOLs, but we need to carry civilians out of here as well. Can you send a third for them?" Black asked. "Negative, Sergeant. We are stretched thin in other operations as we speak. Your main mission is to get out of there alive. Any civilians there are likely dead by now." "What… you're leaving them to die?!" Black asked. "That is affirmative. We need all the manpower we can get. Civilians would just slow us down." "Who gave you that order?" Black asked, a little calmer. "Sergeant, that is classif—""WHO THE HELL GAVE YOU THAT ORDER?" Black screamed, and bullets hit the counter and ricocheted off the wall. "Lieutenant Epikly, sir. He's in charge of defense while General Druid is away." "Well, I'll make sure Druid hears about this, because he's right here in the battle with me!" Black shouted, and closed the link. "Son of a bitch…" he said. "Jack, you see anything in the form of hostile?" He asked. The solder peered over quickly and said "Nothing sir, but I doubt there isn't any hostiles around here sir." Scout nudged Black, who quickly turned his head. "How many soldiers do you think are still alive, Biotech and Overwatch?" "Most likely they'll have holed up at the California Government Center with the civilians. However, there are many entrances into that place. They may be in danger of being flanked. Look, if you want to help the effort, just get there alive. However, if you're feeling brave and heroic, there will most definitely be some survivors beyond the Center. Evac's going to drop in the park in front, so when they arrive, they shouldn't be too hard to see." Black said. Scout looked outside and said "Yeah, I'll do a search. You guys sure you'll make it to the Center?" Scout asked. "Don't worry. All's quiet right now in the square. Just be on guard."

Scout proceeded outside, checking the roof for snipers or an ambush. He got a communications request from Druid, and answered it. "Scout, you there?" He asked. "Yes, Druid, I'm here. Don't know for how long though." Scout said. "Power's went out in the Center. You near the power station by any chance?" "Was about to check it for survivors. I'll see what's up." "Good. We got injured here who really need it." Druid said, and the link closed. Scout jogged past the burning apartments, and went onto the Maaco car repair. He opened the door slowly, and heard talking from within the other one. "… thinks he can just walk away with this. I bet 200 bucks this guy is in Downtown right now, laughing his ass off." One voice said. "Hey, when this is all over, the loot we got is gonna be worth more than what he took from us. This place is ripe with metals, guns, and ammo. We could sell it all and get rich, man!" A second voice said. Scout slowly opened the second door, and noticed not two, but _five _men standing around a tied-up woman. "What about the girlie there?" One asked. "Well, she'll provide us some fun while we're waiting for this to blow over." "I call dibs on her first… she'll love me best." Scout shook his head and targeted the five looters using his SIG-550. He attached a silencer, and took careful aim. He shot one in the head, and then another, and two more in quick succession. The last one reached into his jacket for his pistol, but Scout got him in the chest. He made his way inside, and heard a chain clinking. He turned around and saw one last guy, with metal-scrap armor sewn on a jacket. He was whirling a chain in a circle, and at the end of the chain was yet another piece of metal that looked like a hammerhead. Scout raised his rifle, but the man leapt forward and disarmed him, and punched Scout to the ground. The man field-stripped the weapon, and tossed the parts on the ground. Scout got up, and pulled out a knife. The man silently stayed put, and Scout rushed forward with a jab to the man's stomach. The looter sidestepped the attack and tripped Scout, who almost fell on his own blade, but narrowly missed. Scout rolled and got up, and the man stepped forward, whirling the chain faster this time. Scout ducked to avoid the incoming hammerhead, and took a swipe with his knife, grazing the looter's cheek. The looter pulled his arm back, and punched Scout square in the chest, knocking him against a pillar of stone. Scout's breath didn't come back, and he gasped for air. The looter grabbed Scout's throat and raised him up high. Scout was turning blue, and saw his vision darken. With one last effort, Scout dropped the knife, and swung his leg forward. Miraculously, he made contact with the knife, and he rammed the knife into the looter's heart. The man staggered back, dropping Scout, who gasped for breath again. The looter fell back, dead. Scout dragged himself to the pillar and lay against it. His eyes were nearly closed, and he felt so close to death. He took deep breaths, and his vision began to clear. His body ached, and he decided to get up one last time. He leaned on his right leg and felt searing pain. He fell, and realized it must've been fractured. He crawled towards the girl, who was blindfolded, gagged, and tied up. He took off the blindfold and gag, and revealed a face which was astonishingly beautiful. Compared to the dirty place, she had very little dirt on her face, and she looked at Scout with fear. Scout remembered he still had his mask on, and took it off. The mask itself was scaring her, with its patterns. She looked upon his face and opened her mouth to speak. "Don't." Scout said. "It'll be explained when we get to the Government Center." She looked down at his leg and said "It's broken… isn't it?" "How'd you know that?" "I wasn't deaf to the fight… I wish I was." She said. Scout sighed and lay back down on the ground. "So do I… what's your name?" He asked. "I… I don't remember. I didn't have my parents at birth. I was raised in the church here, the church of Raptor Jesus." "You were raised in… the church?" Scout asked with interest. "Th-there was a church here? In California? I thought Bangclaw was the only church of Raptor Jesus." Scout said, and the girl had a look of recognition in her eyes now. "You're… him? The Survivor? We had heard that the Bangclaw church was raided, but… the reports came as no survivors." "I'll explain everything later… it's too long to tell here." Scout said. "I can't go anywhere with my leg like this. Can you carry a gun?" He asked. "No, only a sword." She said. "I was a nun at the church. I only have novice knowledge of sword skills…" "Nevermind… can you find, anywhere, a first-aid kit? Maybe there's a cast in there." He said. "Okay, stay here." The girl said. And she got up and ran off to the first room. Scout noticed her clothing. She didn't wear a nun's outfit, but rather a civilian getup. Skinny jeans, a leather jacket, hiking boots… she certainly didn't look the way of a nun. Then again, Scout was wearing a light Kevlar vest with a hoodie and mask, so maybe he wasn't far off from her. She came back with a first-aid kit a few minutes later. "Here, this should do for now. She said. Scout watched her wrap the cast around and eventually she said "Done… at least until we find you a dispenser to inject some healing substance… Biotech ran this city. Undoubtedly there's one somewhere." "Good work, and… thanks." Scout said. The girl smiled and nodded. "So, onto the government center?" she asked. Scout looked at her. "What?" she asked. "You seem relatively calm, considering what you've been through recently." Scout said. "I've seen a lot… I'll just leave it at that." She said, and hung her head. "I'm sorry." Scout replied, and she raised her head with a half-smile. There was a pause for a few moments before she said "Are we going?" "Yes, to the power station though. Druid reckons that the power must be out. There's wounded in there that need the dispensers." "Wait… Druid? He's here?" She asked. "Yes. He is. Bangclaw's been sacked as well as Townsend." "You know him?" She asked again. "Yes… but that's not important. What IS important is getting the power back on to the—""No, it's important because he needs to die if he's alive." She said. Scout paused and said "Why?" "Don't you see? The crimes he committed, massacring the priests at Townsend…" "I KNOW… about Townsend." Scout started. He felt memories rushing back about that day… he'd explain later, like he had said before. "But like I said, Druid is at the Government Center. We will NOT kill him. He's working with us now against Syntox. He might be one of the largest allies we have against Syntox's army. When this is over, hopefully we'll put the past behind us." "But…" She started. "But nothing. We're doing it my way… I could've left you to those buffoons but my mission was to pick up survivors. By the Raptor, we're wasting time we don't have. Let's just go!"

Scout and the girl travelled to the power station to find three dead Biotech soldiers there. The place looked like it had been ransacked, and bullet casings littered the ground. Scout almost slipped on a large bullet casing, presumably a .308 round. He caught himself just in time, but his leg seared with pain again. They made their way inside the main generator building to find that the generator had been smashed. "Shit." Scout said. "What now?" the girl asked. Scout said nothing and called Druid on his communicator. "Druid… the generator is smashed. You finding any alternatives to this?" He asked. "Scout, the VTOL's are here. You're going to have to get here quickly. Scouts report that Syntox's army has left the city and is heading towards CityWay. We can't save the poor bastards." Druid said. "Get to the VTOL. They're taking the soldiers and civilians to Tropical Town." "Druid, they won't take civilians." Scout said. There was a pause, and Druid said "What? What do you mean?" "Sergeant Black was calling the VTOLs in. I heard the Biotech HQ saying they wouldn't take civilians." "Damnit. We're going to have to force their hand. Let me talk to them. Meanwhile, get to the LZ… we don't have much time left." Druid said, and the communication ended. Before Scout could turn around, he heard the girl run off towards the rocks. "Wait, WAIT!" Scout shouted. He heard another voice, a female voice, saying "No! Don't get closer! Stay back!" Then, Scout was blasted off his feet by an explosion in that area. It vaporized the girl, and sent Scout flying 6 feet backwards. He landed hard and skidded on his back. His whole body was numb, and then suddenly painful. He found that his mask was shattered by the impact. He tried with all his might to get up, but collapsed again. He dragged himself to the side of the generator building and leaned his back up against it. The first thought in his head was _what? _He weakly raised his arm and tried to call Druid, but found himself slowly falling into unconsciousness. He passed out several times during the next few minutes, and when he tried to open his eyes again, he felt himself being picked up by multiple arms. He was too weary to wake… and so Scout finally succumbed to sleep.

**Chapter 5:** Tropical Town

"How's the situation look in the rest of the cities?" Blight asked. "Well, most of the civilians were escorted away by another group of VTOLs and helicopters. Seems like Druid and his armies are good for something, at the very least." Kush replied. They were at the airport of Tropical Town, where many helicopters and other aerial craft landed. Tents were put up outside to accommodate for the civilians who couldn't find a place inside. "I doubt that we can take many more though. We're about to overpopulate Terrorception, and that's saying something, given how big this damn city is." He continued. Blight sighed. Kush continued, "Syntox… why… why Syntox. Out of all people we least suspected, one of the co-founders of the Colonies. Is nobody to be trusted anymore?" "That's why Tropical will only allow Superadmins and above to attend the emergency meeting. No administrator access. He won't even let Druid and Scout in, despite their actions in the evacuation." Blight said. Kush shot a look that clearly resembled a 'you've got to be joking' face. "What, Druid fucking about with the evacuation so his precious soldiers could get out, all the while delaying us so Scout (who had most of his body blown to shit in the meanwhile thanks to Druid sending him out) could re-supply power to California? What sort of good action was that? He nearly got Scout and everyone else killed for his goofing around." "I never said they were good actions, sir." Blight said. "Speaking of Scout, do you know his condition as of last time you checked?" "You can check for yourself. The medical room is yet another tent outdoors. Biggest one, sadly. You can't miss it." Kush said, as he drank his coffee. Blight bowed slightly and walked off at the brisk pace.

He arrived at the medical tent and saw that the pre-dominant color was red, unsurprisingly. He saw Overwatch, Biotech, Last Hope, and other, unrecognized soldiers on one side, and civilians on the other. Scout was on the soldiers' side, when asked about to a nurse, and he went to go see him. "I must inform you, the medication we put him on will dull him a lot. He might not be responsive if you're asking questions." The nurse said before hurrying off. Blight sat at Scout's bedside, and Scout opened his eyes. His face was covered by bandages, as well as his arms. His legs… they weren't even qualifying as legs anymore. Blight wondered how he could take such pain when Scout finally spoke. "Hey…" he whispered. "I'm glad to see you're alive." Tango said. "W-wish I was dead…" Scout mumbled. "Well, don't we all when strange things happen?" Blight replied. "Can't f-feel mmmyy legs." Scout slurred. "Don't worry. They're being healed up. I expect you'll be fit as a fiddle within a few weeks." "I don't… I lost someone in that blast, Blight… someone that could've… given me answers. Answers that said whether... or not there are... more." Scout whispered, and Blight looked quizzical. "Who?" he asked. Scout said nothing, as he drifted off into sleep. Blight looked down at his feet and got up. He took one last look at the interior before walking out of the tent.

2 weeks later…

The first Superadmin+ Emergency Meeting took place in the Superadmins' tent, with everyone attending, since the other Supers were still mid-evac from other cities. "Roll call." Trop said, pulling out a clipboard. "Vik, Kush, Smiley, Norsk… where are any others?" "Dead. RedArrow's converted, so is Jason." Vik said. Trop looked down and swallowed. "A moment of silence, for those who fell in the Uprising." There was exactly 10 seconds passing before Trop spoke again, shakily. "Let us take seats at the table." There was shuffling across the tent and eventually everyone was seated at the table. "This is perhaps the most… devastating act committed by none other than a group of trusted allies. The death toll stands at… 45 in Bangclaw, 120 in California… I can't read the rest. I can't do it." Trop said. He covered his face with his hands and the others looked downward. "We need to form up a plan to destroy Syntox's army before he pillages any more Colonies." "We could take the hardened mercenaries of the civil war here, tell them to fight for freedom, not just for coin." Smiley suggested. "And how many men would that be… 30? They may be skilled, but not skilled enough versus a legion of fanatics. These solders we're dealing with… they have this wild belief that Syntox will free the Colonies from 420 control. And that is a cause worth dying for to them. Self-preservation is nothing to them, thus makes them dangerous." Norsk replied. "I believe that those men have more skill than a mob of fanatics would ever have. They've won numerous battles, trained themselves. They could take TWO bullets to the head, I bet, before falling." Smiley said, and Kush raised and lowered his hand, signaling them to calm down. "We can't assume that Syntox Turtles hasn't trained his force. He knew there'd be serious opposition, the least he would do, if I know him, would be to train them on how to at least hold their guns. That alone makes each and every one of them dangerous. But at the same time, we need SOMEONE to fight with us." There was a pause, and Vik raised his head. "We could enlist Overwatch." He said, and the others looked at him as if he was mad. "Are you joking? Enlist the most stubborn man in 420 to fight with us? I hear he's corruptible as well. You know that he'd like to change a few things about the Colonies, and make the laws fit him. Hell, he already proclaimed military dictatorship over Bangclaw! If we enlisted him… he might be our fall." Smiley said. "Vik, you have a good head on your shoulders usually, but he's right. Despite the overwhelming numbers that Overwatch could bring us and the tactics as well… it's too risky a gamble. All it takes is something to click in his militaristic head, and the crutch we lean on will be taken from us." "I would—" Vik started, but they heard something out front of the tent flap, and noticed Scout, on his two legs again, with his facial bandages. "I'm sorry, Scout, but this is a Superadmin's meet—" "I promoted him, Smiley. For the war. There's no need… welcome, Scout." Trop said. They noticed Scout's legs, which seemed fine, considering how he was walking. He seemed stiff, however. He pulled a chair and Smiley and Kush made way for him to sit. "Now, Scout, we were just discussing the army we need to raise for a counter-attack. Smiley suggested the veterans of the Trouble to serve with us, and Vik suggested Druid's mercenary armies. Both suggestions are still open to debate." There was a moment of silence, and Scout spoke. "Veterans? What makes you think they'll fight or want to fight after the carnage taking place during the Trouble? Overwatch? Why not let us appear weak, and hire mercenaries to fight in 420's stead. Sure, the clan is 420-loyal, but they are still under the control of Druid, who is a mercenary nonetheless if we try to pay him with money. Neither solution is practical. It is up the people, and the people alone, to fight. And after what they've seen, they won't want to either. But why fight at all? Syntox did not wish for conflict in the first place. And we acted with hostility towards him. We brought this upon ourselves. It's only right, that we end it. But without unnecessary bloodshed." The others looked around, as if waiting for any clear answer to this. "Scout… Syntox shed the first blood when he executed those civilians at Bangclaw. You were there to see it. I expected you'd jump at the chance to avenge them, to fight." Kush said. "I'm sorry. But I will not fight anymore. I've done enough in my years… I will not stand to watch my friends die around me, like at the Church." Scout said, and the others whispered around to each-other. "Are you sure that you will not participate in this war? We still need fighters, and an army. We don't need to get the colonies back just yet… the main task is surviving the onslaught." Trop asked, and Scout nodded without saying another word. There was a period of silence before Smiley and Kush rose after whispering to each-other. "We've decided. We're in favor of raising the veterans to the banner. We'll match them with skill, rather than numbers." Smiley announced, and the two walked out of the tent, leaving Norsk, Vik, Trop, and Scout behind.

Scout walked along the tents of the Overwatch and Biotech soldiers until he got to Druid's tent. Druid was inside with about 4 officers, standing over a map. "… from here, we try to—Oh, Scout! What a welcome surprise. Gentlemen, this can wait." Druid said, and the 4 officers walked out of the tent, murmuring. Scout peered at the map and noticed a fully drawn diagram of Evocity. "That's going to be the last place they hit, and we have soldiers garrisoned there." Druid said. "Evocity… the one place you never truly conquered." Scout said with a half-smile, and Druid chuckled. "Yes, but since the attacks, the civilians became more welcome to the idea of a force protecting them. We've told everyone to re-locate to the main city so we wouldn't be stretched thin. This of course leaves territory undefended, but Syntox's troops will be like a fly in a trap… won't be able to get out. The boundaries of the city are naturally well defended, so once they get in by air, they can't get out by any other means." He concluded. "And this is… a battle plan to plan the defense of the city. I must say it's impressive, even for you." Scout said. Druid smiled and looked at the map again. "No, it's not a battle plan. It's an evacuation plan." Druid said, and Scout looked up. "Why?" He asked. "Scout, the colonies have fallen. Syntox can't get across the sea, and once we evac the city, there won't be any populace to rule over anymore, save for Bangclaw," Druid said. "And once we get everyone pulled out, it's back to Tropical Town." Scout looked down at his feet and sighed. "Druid… Kush and Smiley are forming up an army from the veterans of the Trouble in Tropical Town. Vik and Norsk are against it." "And? Let them do what they will. The colonies are almost fallen. They'll die on offensives. The best thing we need to do is save who we can and leave who we can't. We (I mean Overwatch and Biotech) won't go to war this time. It's too costly. When we get everyone back here, we start new. "Norsk has requested that I bring you to him." Scout said, and Druid shut up. "What does he want?" Druid asked, and Scout beckoned him out of the tent. "We'll take a walk there and find out." Scout said.

They walked in the airport, being careful not to trip over anybody, and eventually reached the Superadmins' Tent. They went inside, and Norsk rose to greet them. "Ah, Druid. Well, this may be unexpected for you, but it's urgent." "Then I will gladly hear what you have to say, Norsk." Druid said. Scout sat with him. "Kush and Smiley are already at Terrorception, rounding up their army. However, it won't be enough to stop Syntox." Norsk said. "Vik suggested that we ask you to enlist." "Well then you should know I won't." Druid said. "I'm not turning my gun on fellow 420 members. No matter how necessary it is." Norsk motioned for him to be quiet and continued. "I was thinking along the same lines until I saw the recordings from one of the massacres, at Bangclaw. Apparently, those soldiers you faced are NOT from 420. They're from other nations and cities, acting as mercenaries." "This explains their ferocity… they never once thought of retreating." Druid commented. "Exactly. But the point is, they're not from here. That not only invalidates Syntox's cause and makes him appear weak. But it also means that this isn't a civil war. It's an invasion of our lands. That being said, we need to defend them. Plus, there are still a number of 420 civilians there, and we'll need to protect them as best we can." Norsk finished. Druid sighed and looked at the map on the table. "But we've lost everything but Evocity, and even then they're prepping for evacuation." He said. Scout cleared his throat. "Well, you haven't sent the VTOLs yet, and those orders can easily be changed." Druid paced for a few seconds and sighed again. "We need to liberate Bangclaw first. That's the seat of his power." "Well, that's what Kush and Smiley said as well, and with any luck you'll get there first. The men they're raising won't be as cautious as yours around civilians… they may mistake them for enemies." Scout said. "It's up to Overwatch to win the day. You know Bangclaw better than Syntox, possibly, and you'll need to protect the civilians there. Win their hearts and minds, Druid, and we'll have a chance."

**Chapter 6: **Seat of the Throne

The VTOLs were sent to Evocity, filled with Biotech soldiers and orders commanding everyone to stay at the city. The civilians at the airport were brought to all corners of Tropical Town to repopulate the city. Meanwhile, Druid, Scout, Pseudonymous, Johnny, AbstraKT, Pie Lord, and Epikly, in his Overwatch armor, took one of Pseudo's yachts to head back to California, where they would drive back to Bangclaw. Johnny absentmindedly kept chambering and un-chambering his Glock, while Pseudo, AbstraKT, and Pie Lord played with a deck of cards in the lounge. Epikly was watching the skies for Druid, who was driving the boat. Scout, meanwhile, was leaning on the rail. He had just replaced his bandages on his face with new ones, and had a new, clean set of Overwatch armor, which was spray-painted black and white to fit him. He looked down into the water and noticed how clear it was. He kept thinking about that girl… the one who set off the landmine. The one who might've been one of the last followers of Raptor Jesus had she lived. He clenched his fist and walked into the cabin again. "Aces, you guys fucking suck." AbstraKT said, and Pseudo put 10 credits on the table in annoyance. Johnny was still inspecting his Glock when Scout walked by him. Johnny looked up and motioned for Scout to sit with him. Scout obliged, and Johnny showed Scout that he could take part the Glock piece by piece and re-assemble it. "Very nice job." Scout said. Johnny smiled and raised his finger quickly, as if to say "Oh, wait!" he reached in his bag, and pulled out a mask. Scout froze. It was the same mask that had shattered. The one Twitch gave him. It had the same flame design, the stark white, and the black eye-holes and smile. "H-how?" He asked in astonishment. Johnny shrugged and made a motion with his hand, as if he was painting something. "You made this?" he asked. Johnny proudly nodded, and Scout put it on. He expected a normal hockey-mask, but when he put it on, he found that he could see not just the world in front of him, but a holographic projection of a BPM meter, blood loss rate, and ammo count. He was amazed. "How did you make this? This is technology not even Trop has!" Johnny looked at his feet and made motions with his fingers, then clenched his fists. He pulled out a notepad and wrote something. He showed Scout what it said: "Biotech". "This is Biotech stuff?" Scout asked. "How'd you get it, and even more, is it even legal?" "Legal? Be glad that you have it, Scout. Biotech won't miss it." AbstraKT said. "Their facility in the Bank of California was abandoned by the time me and Johnny got there during the evacuation." "So, you looted it?" Scout asked. "No. Turns out, there was one scientist left, but he'd been pumped full of lead and was bleeding out. He gave us the combination to the technology lab vault. We searched around for anything that might help us… you'd be amazed at what we found apart from that." AbstraKT said. "We closed up the vault to make sure nobody else got to the stuff. We couldn't carry it all out." "So, this mask came from the vault?" Scout asked. "No. The mask itself was painted by Johnny. He found the template in the church here. The technology came from a ski-mask thing, presumably for a spec-ops soldier? But with a little work, we managed to get it working well." Scout took off the mask and said "Thanks, guys. It means a lot that you would do this." "Don't mention it. We just thought you'd like something different than your ugly, deformed face. Hahaha." AbstraKT said. Scout didn't smile.

They landed at California, and went inside the technology vault again. Druid found himself some advanced combat armor, which was light as silk when worn, but upon a bullet's impact would harden like titanium. Pseudonymous and Pie Lord found SIG-552 rifles on a rack. "Overwatch Standard-Issue. Those babies are the best when you're in heavy combat." Druid said proudly, as he took a katana from a rack. Scout found an assortment of knives and took a katana also. He inspected the sword, which had a black, glossy sheath, with a golden _kojiri _and a dragon design on the_ saya_, also golden. The sword itself had a shining steel blade, with a hilt made of the same material. He sheathed the blade and commented, "Druid. If the company is named "Biotech", why aren't there biological substances in here?" "Because the real biological stuff is in Evocity. Biotech was formed there under my control, but as they expanded and gained autonomy here, they began to deviate from what they were founded on. This vault here is all circuitry. Evocity is where you find the biological stuff." They all equipped themselves with the technology, and tried to find a car. They found a Mini Cooper, but they had to siphon gas from other, ruined cars to fill up the tank to drive. They eventually did fill up the tank, but when it was done, they found that there wasn't enough space for them, and all of their gear. "This will never do." Scout said. There were 7 of them, and the Cooper only supported 4. It was decided that they would have to weld something on the top of the car to hold the remaining 3 men. They found a large metal platform, and welded it to the top. They also took a side rail, which they found on the ground, and had to cut bits of it off in order to add rails to all sides of the platform. They considered it 'good enough', and Johnny, AbstraKT, and Pie Lord went on top, with Druid, Scout, Pseudonymous, and Epikly in the car. They made progress, if slow progress, to the gates of Bangclaw, and Druid purposely ran over a few rocks to make Johnny squeal with alarm, making Pseudonymous and Epikly laugh. "Fucking Druid! Stop that! Road's windy enough already and I might just hurl on your windshield if you don't!" AbstraKT shouted. "Fuck!"

They eventually reached the gates, and Pie Lord took out a gadget that allowed him to see through the gate and detect life forms. "There's two soldiers just inside, watching for anyone who would leave through the gates… not enough range to find any other guards or emplacements." He said. "Nobody said we had to enter through the main gate…" Pseudo said, and Pie Lord looked skeptical. Pseudo pointed at the nearby manhole, and AbstraKT sighed. "Fuck you. Pseudo, just fuck you… I will NOT go down in there." Pie Lord said, but Johnny, Scout, and Druid were already running towards the cover and lifting it up, so Pseudo and AbstraKT left as well. Pie Lord looked at the gate again, and swore again under his breath as he went after them.

They descended down the ladder into one of the tunnels, which led straight into the leech pit. They had to use their technology to allow them traction in the tunnel, for if one of them slipped in the slimy liquid underfoot, they would fall in the pit. Scout heard AbstraKT and Pie Lord swear silently yet again, and he stopped Johnny from strutting right into the pit. "Druid… please tell me we got some grapplehooks at the very least with this Biotech stuff." Scout said, and Druid fumbled in his backpack. "Urgh… only one hook. They weren't really popular with the scientists, so only one was actually made. Even then, I heard it doesn't work like it should." He said. Scout looked down into the waters below and sighed. "I have an idea, but you guys may not like it." He said. "One of us shoots the hook to the nearby catwalk, and when he climbs up on it, he shoots it again AT the next person. Except this time, he will take the armpiece off, letting it fly towards the person. This will hit the next guy hard, but he gets to shoot across." Scout said. The others seemed content with this, and Scout equipped the arm piece, strapping it around his right arm. He aimed at the catwalk's rail, and it latched on. However, it didn't pull him forward as he predicted. "Uh, Druid. We have a problem. It's not bringing me to the rail." Scout said. Druid hummed for a bit and turned around. "Pseudo, the welder." He said. Pseudo rummaged around and found the blowtorch. "Take the armpiece off. I have an idea." Druid said. Scout unstrapped it, being careful not to drop it. Druid took it and welded it to the side of the tunnel. "We can use this as a zipline. Let's use the rifles to slide down." He said. They used the makeshift zipline one by one, and soon all were on the catwalk. For good measure, they cut the wire. They reached the second pipe, leading to a maze of smaller pipes overhead. "We're gonna have to climb this thing." Druid said. Pie Lord brought out some rope with a meat hook attached to it, and swung it up to one of the top bars. They climbed up the rope and eventually found their way to the concrete ground above. They rested for several minutes and then pushed open the door to the open tunnel, where the river flowed. A gust of wind reached them, and it brought cool air which they enjoyed as they walked towards the yellow warehouse facing the river. They knocked on the door, and a small child answered it. "Hello?" He said in his tiny voice. "Excuse me, kiddo, are your parents home right now?" Scout asked. The child stared for a few seconds at their appearance. They were armed to the teeth and smelled of sewage, and Johnny was behind them examining the concrete wall. A man came to the door, and Scout's face eased tension. It was Tangodown. "Scout? I thought… never mind… come on in." Tango said.

"Look, Scout. It's a suicide attempt. Even with Druid's highly trained soldiers and Kush's elite warriors, it's not going to stop the army of mercenaries Syntox hired. They're willing to take a full clip from an automatic weapon if it meant fighting for a cause. I don't know what the hell Syntox told them that got them this fanatical, but they are NOT self-preserving." Tango said, leaning back in his chair. The 7 men sat on the floor, cross-legged. They all washed up and got the smell off of them, and they finally took off their gear, which Tango had sent the child to polish. "That makes them easier to kill. They have no regard for tactics; they're mindlessly throwing themselves into a grinder. I don't see why they're not already dead." Scout said. "They just keep coming. I swear I've seen one guy get killed in a mob riot, and the next day he's back at his post! Like a fucking zombie! No way they can take that many bullets!" Tango said in disbelief. "Plus, the only reason Overwatch or any of you won the previous wars is because everyone valued their lives. These mercs… they don't." He said. "Please, Tango. We need your help to restore order. Nobody has done it better than you in Bangclaw." Pie Lord said. "Syntox has let me live like this. I'm grateful he let me live in the first place." Tango said, getting up. He walked to the TV and turned it on, showing news footage of a smoking ruin of Cosmoscity. "Scout… I don't want the same thing to happen here as what's happened there." He sighed. "Bangclaw is my home… I want to see it free again just as much as you do. But… I'm not going to fight anymore. I'm growing older. Older than most of you. I deserve to settle down." He said.

A few hours later, dinner was served. Tango and the child (who turned out to be his son) fixed soup for the company, and they all watched TV together. "… Overwatch officials report that despite the heavy casualties, they will fight the Liberators still. This reporter hopes that they receive full brunt of Our Leader's justice, and that the Colonies will be free again." The reporter said, as it clipped to a commercial for condoms. Pie lord snorted. "So now the news is biased, eh?" he asked Tango, who nodded. "We learn to live with it. It's the only news we get out here." Scout got up and went to the sink to wash out his bowl. Tango had divided up the warehouse into smaller sections, so Scout had some peace in the kitchen. He raised his hand to scratch an itch on his face and felt the mask on it. He almost forgotten he was wearing it. He thought about the day Twitch gave him the original… he heard rustling behind him and turned to see Tango standing in the doorway. "Sorry. Was just dozing off." Scout said. "Scout. We need to talk, in private." Tango said in a serious tone. Scout nodded and they exited the kitchen, then went upstairs into the room overlooking the interior. "Scout, I demand to know exactly what mission you're undertaking." He said. "And why should I tell you? It's 420 confidential." Scout said. "BECAUSE IT'S MY HOUSE, DAMNIT!" Tango shouted. "You bring 6 men. 6 ARMED MEN, into my house, and you don't even tell me what the fuck you're doing? I thought you were dead, killed at California!" "I almost was, and for your information, I won't pass along info to just anyone!" Scout replied loudly. "We're here on 420 business, that's all I will reveal! I know we are friends, good friends, but I can't tell you." "I lost many friends and accomplices during that invasion. I lost everything, Scout. Do you hear me, EVERYTHING!" Tango shouted, and Scout angrily took off his mask, showing the bandages underneath. "I lost everything as well, Tango. More than you ever did now. I lost the family who took me in. I lost many potential friends when they were massacred at Townsend. I lost half of my body in an explosion which also claimed possibly the last surviving Raptor Jesus Priest I knew. All in my lifetime. So when you whine to me about how your suite at the apartments was lost or how you no longer wear a fancy suit and now have a scruffy beard, think about that." He walked out of the room, leaving Tango to sit in an office chair. Tango wheeled over to the cooler and grabbed a beer. He sipped in silence, remembering the day he swore an oath…

"…to protect this city, and neighboring cities if we can, with the utmost attention. I promise, that no matter what dangers may come through that gate, or over the walls, I will persevere to defend this city and act towards its well-being."

**Chapter 7:** The Counter-Uprising

Scout, Pseudonymous, and Pie Lord were sitting on the floor cross-legged, playing blackjack. AbstraKT was tinkering with a pile of scrap metal and technology that Tango let him use. Epikly and Druid were inspecting their guns and talking of battles long past. Johnny was outside, by the river, with Tango's son, trying to fish from the river. Occasionally he would catch a small fish and put it into the boy's bag when the boy wasn't looking. "How long will you be staying?" the boy asked. Johnny shrugged and cast his fishing pole out again. "Daddy says that you're going to war." The boy continued, and Johnny half-smiled and made a few motions with his hand. "You can't talk?" the kid asked, and Johnny began to write on his notepad. "No, I can't talk." he wrote. "I'm good at hearing though." He added. The boy laughed and Johnny felt something tug at his fishing line. He pulled it up and put the fish in his bag. "Could you talk before?" The kid asked again, and Johnny paused. He once did, did he… he wrote on his notepad again. "Yeah." The kid asked again why he stopped, and this time he didn't answer.

Druid finally stepped outside and got some fresh air. He saw Johnny and the boy fishing and asked "Caught anything?" "Yeah! I caught mostly small fish, but somehow a bigger one appeared in my bag! Do you think it grew?" the kid excitedly asked. "Haha, yep. It looks like he definitely grew. You should show your dad!" Druid said, and the kid beamed and ran inside. Druid sat next to Johnny, and cleared his throat. "We'll be moving out soon. Syntox has left the city, leaving RedArrow in charge of fixing his administration gauntlet." Druid said. Johnny didn't look at him. Druid glanced at his notepad and sighed. "I did what I had to do back then, Johnny." He said. "You killed the only person I cared about in this city back then. I consider it payback." Druid said. Johnny glared at him. Druid looked into the water for a second, and then stood up. "I'm going back inside." He said, and walked through the doorway. Johnny angrily tipped the bag of fish back into the water, where they escaped, swimming towards the bottom of the river.

They had all packed up when Pie Lord showed them the creation he made. "I figured out that with the technology I had, I could make a jammer that will throw off any signal. Similar to an EMP, but it doesn't make the lights go off." He said. "The only downside to this is a large dog whistle when you turn it on, but that can be remedied with earplugs." "Still looks like a piece of shit covered in metal. Why would we need it?" AbstraKT said, zipping up his duffle bag. "Because, it prevents RedArrow from calling in reinforcements when the uprising begins. I haven't tested it out yet, so it may or may not work." Pie Lord admitted. "Good. Great. I hope it blows up in your pretty face." Pseudonymous said which triggered a small laugh from the others. "Everything packed?" Scout asked them, and they nodded. "I'm ready too." A voice said, and they turned their heads to see Tangodown. He was suited up in 420 combat armor, with full arm plates and his helmet under arm. He no longer had a scruffy beard and long hair; he cut it and trimmed it along with washing his face. He looked immaculate compared to the environment around him. On his chest, he held many badges and a sash. On his back, he carried a ceremonial katana and in his hands he carried an M249. He was quite a sight to behold. "I thought about it overnight." He said, going down the stairs. "The oath I took to defend this city. It's only right that I fight for it one last time." He looked at all of them, and Druid finally said "When you're ready." He walked to the door with Epikly, and Tango nodded. "I already spoke to my son. He is on a plane to Evocity right now." He said. He walked towards the door, and all of the men climbed the ladder to the city above.

Trop, Vik, Norsk, Smiley, and Kush were in Evocity. It didn't take a genius to know that the city was now a rock of defense. Overwatch, Biotech, and even some Last Hope mercenaries patrolled the newly built walls, and they had many reserves in the Nexus. Civilians were being trained to fight as guerilla forces, and certain parts of the city, such as the Forest, were abandoned and set up as "Kill zones" for enemy troops. The Superadmins had reserved a room in the Nexus to be the war room, and they stood around a table yet again, with Overwatch soldiers guarding the outside door. "We are safe here, and it enables us to send orders more efficiently." Trop had said, speaking of their new position in Evocity. "I disagree. The only men guarding the fortifications are mercenaries. Bought with 420 credits and Colonial cash. It takes just a higher payment from Syntox to turn them against us." Smiley said, and Trop quieted him down. "This is not open to debate, gentlemen. What IS open to debate, however, is the current predicament we are in. Evocity and Bangclaw are quite possibly the last cities to be intact. Well, Townsend could count too, but it's not big enough to be a city." Trop said. "But both Bangclaw and Townsend are occupied. California has been razed, as we all know, and CityWay, Cosmoscity, and Veluxcity. Downtown and Evilmelon have declared their independence and have formed a confederation together, named simply the "Union". They are currently seeking peace terms with Syntox, who, as we know, is abroad right now. Our spies have reported that he is heading towards that same Union. My guess is, he's going to recruit them, or crush them." He finished. Vik cleared his throat and spoke. "In addition, we have another problem. Jason Bourne has re-emerged, and he is currently at the Dam, where the tribes are. I believe he is training them in the use of guns, and how to co-operate with each-other. A spy there tells me he's already formed his own confederation of 6 small tribes, and is either fighting or converting the rest. We're surrounded by enemies." He said. "However, there is some good in this. With Kush and Smiley's warriors with us, we can strike back at Bangclaw now. In addition, I hear that various companies are taking an interest in this strife and are offering to sell their wares to us. Syntox already has a contract with WAC, but we can buy weapons from M9K and F.A.S. depots. These weapons will give us a significant advantage against the generic, Tropical Town brand." Vik finished. Trop pointed on the map where Bangclaw is. "RedArrow is over there, is he not?" he asked. Vik nodded. "Yes, but with few bodyguards. An assault there will—" "Effectively give us a chance to ruin what info we can get." Norsk said. "RedArrow is reportedly working on fixing Syntox's administration gauntlet, after Trop shot it. That gauntlet would give him access to many areas of the city that were locked off to others. Now, why he didn't have RedArrow unlock them for him is beyond me, maybe there's one zone that can only be accessed by him, but that's nonsense." Norsk continued. Trop shifted uncomfortably, but nobody noticed this. "The point is, RedArrow's occupied. I've sent a few agents to take him out. They should be in Bangclaw already." He said. Kush got up. "We haven't even sent out the troops yet! By the time they take him out, Syntox will hear of it before we get there! And when we get there, bam. Heavy defenses. That was not a good idea, Norsk." He said. "Calm down, Kush. It'll work out. We'll hold the city any minute now." Norsk said. Smiley eyed him with suspicion. "What are you planning, Norsk? Something must be happening already down there." He asked. Norsk just sat back down, smiling.

"Everybody take up positions." Druid said. "Epikly, you're with me. We're going into the apartments to secure a balcony from which to snipe from. Scout, AbstraKT, go into the tower to watch for guards. Johnny, put on this robe to disguise yourself. You're going into the neighborhood to lure RedArrow to you under a false call for help. Pie Lord, wait in the bathroom of one of the houses with your jammer. The rest of you, which leaves Tango and Pseudo, put up communications with the Overwatch soldiers at Evocity to allow them to come here. Let's do this." They all reached their spots, and Johnny put on his hood. Since he couldn't speak, he sent a text message via his communicator to RedArrow, asking him to help get "Grandma Jane" on her feet after she fell. Pie Lord waited in silence in the bathroom of the same house. They waited for a few seconds when RedArrow was spotted driving his car to the house. He got out, and buttoned up his white suit. He unlocked the door with his Administration Gauntlet and started to help Johnny up. Pie Lord triggered the jammer and the Administration Gauntlet sparked and died. RedArrow looked down in shock, as Johnny got up and punched him in the jaw, knocking him out. He carried Red's body to the car, and drove it to the gates. He hotwired the car to auto-pilot itself towards Syntox's army, and he jumped out as he made the final touch. The car zoomed through the gate, Red's unconscious body in the trunk. "He's gone then? Any soldiers you spotted?" Druid asked. They reported no sightings, and Tangodown and Pseudo called in Overwatch soldiers. About 8 Heavy VTOLS arrived, each carrying about 80 Overwatch Elites. A second wave arrived carrying about double that in foot soldiers. The civilians looked up at the sky in astonishment, and started to cheer across the city, praising the soldiers who had come to reclaim the city from Syntox. "Damn, Druid. Where'd you recruit all these guys?" Pie Lord asked. "Only in the Colonies, friend." Druid said proudly, and Tangodown laughed slightly. "Never thought I'd be happy to see Overwatch soldiers in Bangclaw, didn't think the civs would too." He chuckled. The soldiers secured the whole city, desert included, in about 30 minutes. The only place they didn't breach was a door in the Sewers, which they couldn't unlock. "Needs administration gauntlet. Unfortunately, we fried RedArrow's." An officer reported. "Ah well. There could've been loot in there…" They were in the process of building strong walls when a soldier sent a message to Druid. "I see Kush and Smiley… they're leading a force of about 50 seasoned warriors with them." They said. "Let him in, he's allied." Druid answered. Scout raised his eyebrows and said "Be careful. Their intentions may not be in your best interests at the moment." "Well, we'll see." Druid said. Kush and Smiley looked around, and saw Overwatch soldiers eying them from all corners. "Druid!" Kush shouted, and Druid, with his 7 accomplices, walked towards him from the right side of the city. "How do you do, Kush? You seem to be a little late to the party. No matter, we can use all the help we can get." Druid said, smiling. Kush glared at him. "I was under the impression that this city was under Syntox's control, and that RedArrow was over here." He said. "You didn't see his car drive off? City's undefended now. Well, the city was. Now it is. RedArrow simply had to take a break." Druid said, still smiling. "We re-claimed the city, though, and because of that, they only hold Townsend, the poorest city of them all. It will be easy to smash the invasion now." "And where did you get these troops from? Evocity? That means it is that much less defended. You've sacrificed the defense of US for the ambitions of you." Kush said angrily. His warriors under Smiley moved to occupy the government center and the neighborhood, unoccupied by Overwatch soldiers. "Oh, that's what you wanted, isn't it? Saw the examples of Downtown and Evilmelon and decided to make your own little kingdom? Maybe you sold yourself to Syntox and only reinforced the city for HIM. Your whole force is mercenaries. You're no different." Druid looked as if Kush had just air-humped his gun. "What the fuck are you on about? We serve 420! We fortified this city, for Trop, for the republic!" Druid said. "HAH! Fortify it for 420 my arse. You've conquered this city before, and now, you aim to truly conquer it. I have seen this coming since you won that first war against your foes the Last Hope… I knew that you would usurp control. When we next meet, it will be on the battlefield!" Kush shouted. And with that, he ran off towards his half of the city with the remainder of his warriors. Druid spat in his direction and signaled for Overwatch to retreat to the right side of the city, with the Apartment building and parking lot was. "Fortify this half of the city. Consider the rest of the city neutral, owned by the civilians. We need all troops on THIS SIDE, repeat, ALL TROOPS IN THIS FORT!" Epikly ordered. The Overwatch soldiers scrambled to set up the walls and defenses, and managed to build a fairly decent wall. Druid looked through his binoculars at the Government Center/Neighborhood, and saw that Kush had already set up a strong fort, although a smaller one. Druid sighed. They had rushed the walls in the same time that Kush and Smiley took to make them strong. It was irreversible, so he congratulated the men on their work. "Now, we must set up factories to mass produce firearms. Set up dispensers, Gun factories, Armories, anything that gives us guns and ammo. Set up turrets also, inside the walls. Scout, you lead your men behind the walls as reserves." Druid said. Scout took AbstraKT, Pseudo, Tango, Johnny, and Pie Lord with him in the warehouse, while Druid and Epikly stayed behind to order the defense. A few hours passed, and everyone was dug in. Druid had set up shop in the top room in the apartment buildings, and set up various sniper points on the balconies. Scouts had reported that Kush and Smiley were making drugs and selling them to the dealer to raise money for the standoff. "'Standoff', because there has been no fighting yet, and it isn't a war yet." Druid had said. Scout and most of the soldiers didn't care. It would soon turn into one the rate things were going.

**Chapter 8:** Overwatch V.S. 420 Part 1

A few days later, Gunfire rang out from different parts of the city. Kush had begun raiding drug caravans belonging to civilians, and they were defenseless against trained veterans. Druid ordered that scouts be deployed to guard the houses of civilians, in the "No Man's Land", and soon, the raiders begun to target houses, leading to Overwatch and Kush's soldiers fighting it out. Druid declared war on Kush and Smiley formally, and full-scale war was started. It began with Overwatch bombarding the Neighborhood District with their cannons, which caused moderate amounts of damage to the fortifications there and took out Kush's own artillery. Kush, while unable to retaliate with artillery anymore, led a band of raiders personally to the apartments next to the Gate of Bangclaw. They encountered minimal resistance, and they soon were right next to Overwatch borders, with clear access to the Corner Building, which would then give them control of the ladder to and from the Warehouse by the river. Druid, however, ordered that soldiers rapidly fortify that building, and so no attempts were made to assault it. Smiley led a force across the desert to annex territories of neutral clans, but these attempts went sour when diplomatic incidents happened, and the clans joined the war on the side of Overwatch. It seemed as if Druid would win the war in a matter of days with the Risk-like game being played, but when he attempted to assault Kush's fortress head-on with the Allied Clans on the flank, he failed to capture the walls, leading to about 40 men dead on Overwatch's side and an almost equal amount dead on the Allied side. The clans retracted their oath of allegiance and acted as a third party for the duration of the war, naming themselves "The Bangclaw Republic", hoping to win the hearts and minds of civilians by raising a banner of independence. Overwatch had about 200 men now, while Kush had 43, by count of the scouts and spies. Kush's forces received little casualties solely because of how the walls were built. They had tiny slots which allowed the troopers to fire out with their MG's, and blocked most bullets from enemy fire. In addition, a large segment of the wall could be defended effectively with only one man. Overwatch walls were designed with a similar mind, but needed two men, and did not offer as much protection, with a wider slot for ease of firing. Overall at this stage, three parties were fighting over Bangclaw. Kush and Smiley agreed to split up the force into two parts between them, as well as split the fort into two parts. Druid saw an advantage to be taken in this, so he riskingly sent 30 soldiers to retrieve the apartment by the Gate of Bangclaw. It was a success, and Druid fortified that zone. Smiley was camped in the Neighborhood District with his force, so he could not reinforce Kush's side without exposing his base to the Republic of Bangclaw. The Republic, however, was more concerned about defense, despite their relatively isolated point in the Desert Town, and although they had artillery of their own, it did not have quite enough range to make shots into the city.

Two days later in the war, the civilians decided to join Overwatch, leading to the Tower, Warehouse and Hospital areas to come under Overwatch sphere of influence. Druid decided that now was the time to end the war, but not by an assault. He demanded that Kush enter negotiations for peace, but after an hour of discussion in the Desert town, no agreement was reached. Druid decided to send the Reserves (His new name for AbstraKT, Johnny, Tango, Scout, Pie Lord, and Pseudo) in the sewers to clear out a new point of attack. "Scout, there's a passageway connecting both of our bases to the sewers. I want to you find the area where Kush's troops can get in. if they already ARE in, kill them all. We need to end this without wasting more lives." Druid said. "Can do, Druid… Oi, Johnny!" He called gleefully. Johnny was trying to swim in a pile of cash when he looked up excitedly. "Bring your toys!" Scout shouted, with a maniacal grin on his face, blocked by the mask. Scout and the Reserves made their way down the sewer, and reached the place where the River flowed through three metal gates. They saw 3 of Kush's troops standing idle, so he purposefully showed his face in front of them, causing gunfire to fling past him. "Aight, been a while since I touched these." Scout chuckled. He pulled out a large sawblade, connected to another sawblade. "Alright, everybody back. BACK!" he shouted over the sound of footsteps. He pressed a button and saw the sawblades come alive, tearing through the soldiers as they frantically tried to shoot it. Eventually, more soldiers came, and the Sawbeast went berserk, slicing through all of them. Scout shut it off, giggling, and they continued to the other side. "Druid, it's clear. Send the troops." He said. "Will do." Druid said. "Ah… this is fun."

Druid himself led the Overwatch Elites into the tunnel. They emerged into the courtyard of the fort and engaged in melee with Kush's warriors, who were now reduced to only a fraction of the former number. It took very little time to subdue them, and Druid ordered that they take the walls, to guard against Smiley's troops. He kicked down the door to the Government Center and shot two guards next to Kush, while the other two charged at Scout and Tango. Druid pulled out a knife and charged at Kush, who grabbed his arm, twisted it, and flung him across the room. Druid hit the wall, and got up again, knife still in hand. Kush's heavy footsteps somehow were audible over the fighting, and he picked up Druid, and was about to throw him again, when Druid slashed at his arm. Kush howled in pain, as Druid got up again, and kicked Kush in the face, breaking his nose and sending him to the ground. Druid held a gun to Kush, who put his hands up. "I surrender. I will join your cause." Kush pleaded. Druid smiled and said "No, keep your base. I have plans for it." He then walked off, leading the Overwatch soldiers back to base, and taking Kush as prisoner. Druid ordered the artillery to "decimate that fort. Leave no bit of metal standing." forcing Kush to watch. The artillery pounded throughout the night until the deed was done, and the bodies of the veteran warriors were cremated at the same site. Kush was sent back to Tropical Town with an escort of 10 Elites. Overwatch now held the main city, but the Republic of Bangclaw was still active. When they saw the incoming Overwatch invasion force, they quickly put up a white flag and surrendered. When the war ended with the Treaty of Bangclaw, Overwatch had lost a total of 63 troops out of 240. Kush lost all of his 23 men, while Smiley surrendered with his. Smiley was given quarter, and his soldiers were treated of their wounds. Druid wrote a letter to Trop regarding the war's events.

"_To Trop, leader and president of the 420 Republic and its armed forces. We have secured Bangclaw after a bloody conflict initiated by one of your Superadmins, Kush de Fourtwentye. While there were losses on both sides, I have decided to spare him, as he is one of your most trusted aides, and as he is not the main enemy. The war began with him ransacking civilian drug caravans for money, and that led to Overwatch fortifying civilian homes. Over time, the attacks shifted to cause casualties to my troops, and I formally declared war on him. After much fighting, a third party, consisting of the civilians and independent clans emerged, calling themselves the "Republic of Bangclaw". They were quickly persuaded to surrender and join with us. Bangclaw is now safely under 420 control, and we have sent Smiley, Kush's co-commander, home with his troops. I wish you a fine life, and luck in this war. _

_Sincerely, Druid. Leader and Commander of Overwatch and its soldiers."_

Druid had sent the letter along by courier to Evocity, and went to his balcony in the Apartment. He looked out over the balcony and saw a vast city, bustling with activity. There was cheering, there was crying. Fireworks went off, funerals held. He sighed and went to bed.

Scout was enjoying the view from the top of the tower. He heard AbstraKT, Pseudo, and Pie Lord dancing to loud rock music in the main room, and saw that Tango had climbed up to join him. "Everything's changed, hasn't it?" Scout said. "Everything is changing still." Tango answered, and the two clinked their beer bottles together. Scout hesitated before taking off his mask. "You know, you could probably take those bandages off now. A blast wound doesn't permanently scar your face." Tango said. "Plus, they rushed you out of medical, if I heard correctly. If you went in the hospital here in the city for a full stay, they could supply you with a quick fix-up." "I forgot about that. Heh, thanks." Scout said. He adjusted a few bandages to allow him to sip from the bottle. "How long did you know Druid?" Tango asked. "Hell, for a while now." Scout said. "He told me that Druid is more of a title than it is his real name." "Oh really… does he cast fireballs?" Tango asked, mildly amused. "Ha-ha, no. He just thought it sticked. Well, it did. He's universally known as Druid now, but me, I like to play around with him. Call him by his first name." Scout said. "And what's his first name?" Tango asked. "And THAT, I will not tell you." Scout said. Tango shook his head and looked over the city, taking a sip. "I used to look over this same city, from the best room in the apartment…" Tango said. "On the last Friday of every Month, I used to sneak out of the office and go fishing." He said. Scout began to laugh, almost spitting up his beer. Tango laughed as well. "And… and one day. It's a hot night, right? And I..." he laughed hard "…I accidentally took off my shirt and pants in front of this old woman walking to the warehouse. I only wanted to swim…" Scout rolled around, trying hard not to open his mouth as he laughed. Tango covered his as well, trying to speak. "She… she just has t-this look on her face l-like 'I must be dreaming'" he said between giggles. Scout finally recovered and said "Why the hell am I laughing at this? That was terrible!" he said, his voice cracking. They continued to laugh, as the moon gradually rose.

A few days later, Trop had sent a reply to Druid in a letter. It told Druid to come to the Nexus for a meeting with Trop. Druid placed the Overwatch Garrison in Bangclaw under the command of Epikly and Scout, while he took a drive to Evocity via Escalade. He reached the parking garage in the Nexus, and he climbed out of the back of the car to see Norsk. "Greetings, Druid. Our Leader, Tropical Trail Mix, is waiting for you in the Nexus. Just take the elevator to the top floor." Norsk said. Druid bowed slightly and began to walk towards the elevator with Norsk at his side. "Good work on securing Bangclaw, by the way. Kush is still grumbling." Norsk whispered with a smile. "It still led to casualties. I may not be forgiven for killing loyal troops to Trop." Druid said as the elevator door opened. "Kush and Smiley were the ones who led them to their deaths. You only showed him the error of his ways." Norsk said, and he pressed the button to go to the top floor. "Bangclaw is going to be a joke compared to the men we are about to lose against Syntox." Druid said. "Not if we have the right guns. I hear tell from Vik that arms deals are being made right now between Trop and two major companies. M9K and F.A.S. They have superior weaponry to Tropical Town-produced firearms. No more lousy AK's." Norsk said. "Indeed? And Syntox's weapons are…" Druid started. "Well, Syntox's army is all mercenaries. So, they brought their own guns. Their uniforms may be standardized similar to your Overwatch and Biotech crew, but the weapons are far from. You may see Tropical Town firearms in their forces, albeit rarely. But mainly it's the weapons from other nations. M9K is common, but extremely rich people have even had the opportunity to get themselves some weapons from Babel Industries. Yeah, _that_ company." Norsk said. They reached the top, and Norsk told Druid to stay put. "Just sit down somewhere. I'll tell Trop you're here." He said. Druid watched him walk inside the office across from the bridge and whistled a low-key tune. He looked over the bridge in curiosity, but rapidly decided to pull his head back. That was quite some fall from the bridge to the ground. He noticed the two Spotters on each side of the entrance to the bridge and thought about the security of the Nexus. If the mass of guards didn't kill intruders, the spotters would surely push them off the bridge. He began to wonder if the spotters would malfunction and push HIM off. He slowly backed away and sat down in a nearby seat. He looked into the neighboring rooms via the glass walls and saw chemicals of all types being poured into each other by Biotech scientists. _Performance-enhancing drugs. I knew they stuck true to their name._ Druid thought. He also saw a test subject running on a treadmill with an apparent prosthetic leg and some form of exoskeleton on his chest and back. Syringes were protruding out of some parts of the exoskeleton, which were filled with blue-ish liquid. Druid chose to avert his eyes. Biotech could do whatever they damn well felt like doing… he was just glad he wasn't their test subject. Norsk reappeared from the office and said "He's ready for you. Go inside." Druid got up and walked in the office, the door closing behind him. He saw Trop standing at the window, looking over the whole city. "Have a seat." He said. Druid looked around for a minute and took a chair at Trop's desk. The whole room was re-done, with velvet drapes, red carpet, a fireplace, and bookshelves galore. There was even a weapon rack and war planning-area. Druid didn't have time to take in all the features, as Trop spoke again. "I called you down here upon receiving your letter. Why didn't you use a communicator?" Trop asked. "I needed some time to finalize defenses. The delay by a courier gave me that time." Druid answered. Trop turned around and sat in his chair. "I read it thoroughly. And after that, I interrogated Kush and Smiley. Smiley I let off the hook, as he was only a second-in-command. Kush, however, is being held accountable for over 100 deaths of loyal 420 civilians. Now, what I want to know is what caused him to act in this manner?" Trop asked. Druid hesitated and said "It was unclear to me. What I believe is—" "No, I didn't ask you for what you believe. I asked you why he did the things he did. You are irrelevant at the moment." Trop said. "He said that I only took Bangclaw with Overwatch forces because I supposedly saw the examples of Downtown and Evilmelon… what happened there, anyway? I heard there was—" "Druid, remain on topic." Trop said, a little impatiently. "Well… he said that I would try to take Bangclaw for myself. He said it was the only reason that Overwatch occupied the area." Druid finished. Trop ran his finger on his lip back and forth in thought. "He said that you would take the city for yourself. Now, would you have done so if it occurred to you?" Trop asked. "Now, don't go saying you wouldn't automatically. Bangclaw is the jewel of the colonies. It is the birthplace of many great deeds and peoples. You know this. I will ask again: would you have taken ownership of Bangclaw, had you thought about it?" Trop asked. Druid was silent for a few seconds and said "I have conquered the city before. Razed buildings, fought wars, even controlled the whole city for a time, but only as a sub-faction, loyal to the leader, who was Tangodown at the time, and who, in turn, was loyal to you. I led Overwatch to greatness, but never truly wanted to overthrow the leader of Bangclaw. In short… no. I wouldn't have. If I had nobody above me, then everybody would be equal to or below me and that… THAT… would be dangerous." Druid said. Trop nodded, and re-adjusted himself. "Druid, I have also gotten word from you that a faction calling themselves the "Republic of Bangclaw" was formed?" "They were simply trying to find a cause." Druid answered. Trop smiled and said "Follow me." They walked to the War Table and Trop leaned over it. "You asked about the incident at Downtown and Evilmelon. Indeed, something happened there. They had declared their independence. They wished to make peace with Syntox, but… as we know, Syntox is an animal. He assassinated the leaders of both cities and usurped control." Trop said. Druid was alarmed. "That would make a strong holding for him. Two cities next to each-other… prosperous cities at that… he's just gained a massive foothold for his army." Druid said. "I wouldn't overestimate him. There is civilian resistance in those cities. They seem to be keeping him awake, anyways. RedArrow was recently recovered from a car crash… what happened to get him there, anyways?" Trop asked curiously. "Oh, Scout and the others gave him a one-way trip to Syntox." Druid said. "Anyway, the resistance?" "Yes. They are actually probably going to win their fight. Syntox's army is stretched thin, and he only brought… how many… Ah yes. Thousands of mercenaries. However, those join him in the main army, and the main army goes wherever he goes. He can't afford to have a low force whenever a strategic target pops up when he finds out about it. Timing is key for him." Trop said. "Well, Overwatch still has at least equal numbers of that force." Druid said. "Yes, well, he seems to lose his troops when he's away from Bangclaw, but not when he's AT Bangclaw. We don't know what's going on." Trop said, pointing at the map. "Tango said that he swore that one soldier died during combat, but he saw him alive again." Druid said. "Superstition, I'm sure, but that sounds pretty sketchy." Trop sighed and opened his mouth, but closed it and cleared his throat. "I've already sent agents to those cities to infiltrate Syntox's defenses. You should expect to hear from me in about a week concerning anything you need to do. Oh, and Druid?" Trop asked, as Druid was about to walk away. "I'm sending you under the command of General Vik. He is currently looking for soldiers, and Overwatch was his first request. Tell Scout that he is advanced as well. Actually, tell Scout to meet me here." Trop said. Druid bowed, and said "Thank you, sir." "Vik will want to speak with you, but in the meantime, get some rest. Syntox isn't necessarily going anywhere…"

**Chapter 9: **Second Battle for Bangclaw

Indeed he was, however. A week later, spies had revealed that Syntox's forces had left Downtown and were marching towards Evocity with haste. Tropical put the whole city in lockdown, and the security measures were taken by Overwatch and Biotech forces. "Druid, you stay here and lead the defense in case he arrives ahead of time." Vik ordered. Druid nodded and ran off towards the gate to the main city, shouting "Load your weapons, brave soldiers!" The soldiers on the walls loaded their clips, chambered, and then ejected the clip and inserted another one, to give them one extra bullet each. Vik took an elevator to the Nexus and reached Trop's office. He opened the door, to see Trop standing at the window, as he usually did. "Sir, Druid's soldiers are in place." Vik said. "You didn't need to race up here to tell me." Trop said. Vik looked at the ground and after a few seconds, Trop started to chuckle. Vik cursed himself in his head and laughed as well. They saw explosions in the distance, far away from the city. "The Super Plasma Shield is up, right?" Trop said. Vik pressed a button on his armband, and the next shots from faraway hit the shield, creating flashes of light above the soldiers. "It's almost beautiful, isn't it…?" Trop said, looking at the explosions hitting the forest. "I haven't seen a view of this since the civil war at home." Vik said. Trop shook his head and sighed. "Syntox is a fool. What inspired him to attack here? If not for the nexus, then why? Trop asked. Vik was about to answer when he felt something shake below the nexus. Trop looked at him in alarm, and he looked down through the window to see the artillery shells hitting buildings and soldiers down below. "Sir, LOOK OUT!" Vik shouted. He tackled Trop, saving him from a shell that sailed through the window and cleanly went through the door. He heard no explosion in the room next-door, so Vik assumed it must've gone straight through the building. "What the fuck? The plasma shield was up!" Vik shouted. "Now's no time. We need to get out of here. We won't survive the bombardment." Trop said. "Put the order through to Druid, we're retreating to the garage." Vik patched into Druid and gave the command, all the while still looking out of the window. "…battle hasn't even started yet!" Druid shouted over gunfire. "Druid, that's an order! We're retreating and that's final! If you cared about the lives of your men, then you'd obey that order!" Vik shouted. He heard only silence, and then saw the troops all pour out from the walls and into the city like yellow waves. "General, I hope you know what you're doing. We've just lost Evocity." Druid said. Vik ended the communication and swallowed. He stared down, and felt Trop put a hand on his shoulder. "It's not your fault, Vik, that we have to do this." He said. "We will show Syntox, one way or another, that this is all pointed to him."

Scout was lying in wait for Syntox's troops to pour into the city. He saw Overwatch and Biotech soldiers charge past his hiding place, and wondered if the walls fell already. He waited until he heard the howls of Syntox's troops. "Give them hell!" He shouted across the street. Johnny and he popped out of the alley he was in, while Pseudo and AbstraKT appeared from behind a building across the street. They all threw their own Sawbeasts, and watched as the troops had their legs chopped off by the flailing blades. Pseudo and AbstraKT threw grenades, while Johnny took careful aim with his Deagle. Tangodown, meanwhile, held his AK close to his shoulder, and unloaded clips into the horde of soldiers. They began firing back, and the group took cover again. "I signed up for this shit!" Pseudo shouted to AbstraKT, as he threw yet another grenade. Suddenly, he saw the sawbeasts fly back towards them, and Scout narrowly ducked to avoid them slicing his head off. The blades got lodged into nearby walls, and Scout peeked out from behind a corner. He saw Syntox, in full battle armor, with a massive sledgehammer with the head made out of ruby. Syntox roared when he saw the group, and they all raced back to the Nexus, with him charging at them with his troops. Scout, AbstraKT, Pseudonymous, and Pie Lord made it to the garage, but Scout saw Tangodown trip and fall, and Johnny rushed back to help him. Johnny pulled with all his might and Tangodown hit him in the arm. "Forget me, boy. You're going to get us both killed!" Tango said. Johnny looked down at Tango with a worried look. Scout ran to them with a regiment of Biotech troops, sent by Druid to cover them. He knelt down and said "Come on, let's go!" He looked up and saw Syntox in combat with the regiment, smacking them to and fro with his sledge. Tango took off his Administration Gauntlet and gave it to Scout. "Give this to Trop. He'll understand." Tango said. "Come on, man, we can get you on your feet!" Scout pleaded, but Tango cut him off. "Damnit, I'm an old man! I shouldn't have lived as long as I did. I should've died fighting back in Bangclaw. This… this is my chance to hold true to my oath." Tango said. Scout looked at Johnny, and back to Tango. "Don't worry… this war will be over. And when it is over, I will make sure you are remembered." He said. "Just go, Scout." Tango sighed, as he loaded a fresh clip into his AK. Scout ran off, and Johnny did too. They entered the garage, and the door closed. Tango saw Syntox walking towards him, his heavy boots thudding against the pavement. "Well, well… If it isn't Tangodown… one of the best administrators ever known." Syntox said. He picked Tango up by the throat, choking him. "A pity it had to end this way." "Indeed it is…" Tango said, as he opened up his jacket, revealing grenades with the pins taken out. "I'd hate to see your pretty face scorched." He said, and with a maniacal laugh, He blew up just as Syntox threw him elsewhere. Syntox tried to guard his face against the fire, but felt it burn his lower right jugular. He got up and picked up his hammer. He walked to the garage, and heaved it over his shoulder.

"Aight, into the Escalades, we're leaving!" Trop said. There were many, many cars there, and the number of soldiers vastly outnumbered the amount of cars. Luckily for them, the cars had been modified to have trailers, and each trailer held 12 men. Add that by the 7-man capacity of the Escalades and multiply by the number of cars, which was 16, and the total amount of space was 304. There were 280 total soldiers in the garage by Druid's count, and the rest of the thousands of soldiers in Evocity had been shuttled away by VTOL's and teleporters. Scout, Druid, Pie Lord, AbstraKT, and Pseudonymous were getting into the Escalade when they heard the hammering of Syntox against the gate. "Okay, here we go!" Druid shouted. "Everyone, double-time it!" He ordered. Epikly was organizing the evacuation, and Trop and Vik were in the escalade with the group. Scout looked at Johnny. "Come on, get in!" He said. Johnny looked at Scout and back at the door, which had massive dents in it. He shook his head and pulled out his pistol. Scout looked at Johnny in shock as he saluted Scout. "Scout… we have to go." Druid said. Scout swallowed his sadness and nodded. He waved to Johnny as the door closed. Syntox hammered at the door again, and Druid gave the order to ram through the door. "Do it." He said. The engines roared, and the drivers all exited the garage with a bang, running over soldiers in their way. Syntox dodged the cars, and when the last one left, he started to charge after them. He heard the click of a gun from the garage, and turned around. He saw Johnny, standing with his pistol raised. He laughed under his breath and thudded down the ramp with 7 soldiers who survived. "So, what do we have here? Come to die like your old man Tango?" Syntox asked. "All of you fools resist. And it's fruitless." He said. Johnny said nothing, and turned his arm. He fired off six shots, all of which hit their targets, killing them. Syntox's smile fell, and Johnny lowered his head while looking at him. Syntox started to charge, and Johnny fired once. The bullet bounced off of Syntox's thick armor. He somersaulted sideways to avoid Syntox, and when he recovered, he rushed inside the door to the Nexus.

Johnny raced up the stairs from the elevator and reached the catwalk. He heard the door being blown open by a charge, and then heard bullets whiz by, and wondered what to do. He realized that he had done his duty… the others escaped. But now there was no way for him to escape. He made a last prayer and took a T-pose. He leapt off of the catwalk, and landed hard on one of the soldiers. He rapidly swung his leg around to take two more off their feet, and shoved frag grenades in their mouths. He somersaulted to avoid the blasts, and pulled out a pistol mid-roll, firing off a shot that ricocheted off the nearby desk and hit another soldier. He found that his ammo had run out, so he pulled out a knife and charged at the remaining soldiers, ramming the blade into each of them. He pulled the knife out of the last one when he felt another blade pierce his back. He looked down and saw that it belonged to a katana. The blade exited his body, and Johnny turned around. Syntox was holding the sword, and chuckling. Johnny fell to his knees, seeing his life flash before him. He pulled out another pistol, only to have it smacked away by Syntox. Johnny breathed slowly, and Syntox knelt down. "You know… I never wanted anyone to die." He said. Johnny looked up at him and spat in his face. "I never did. But sometimes… to gain freedom, you have to fight in a revolution." Syntox said, wiping Johnny's spit off. Syntox picked up Johnny's pistol, and held it at his head. "It's a shame you can't speak. I would've asked you your last words." He said. Johnny closed his eyes, and Syntox paused. He dropped the gun at Johnny's feet. "I'll let you decide when you die." He said. Syntox walked off with his soldiers, leaving Johnny with the gun.

The escalades arrived in Bangclaw, with civilians and soldiers alike. Scout, Pseudonymous, Pie Lord, and the rest of the Priests exited the car and went to their quarters in the apartments. The defenses had been improved dramatically, almost to the point of being better than Evocity. Scout knew it didn't matter. Syntox lowered the shield; it cost the lives of many. No amount of fortification could stop his army, especially when they return to the power source that is Bangclaw.

Druid walked inside the Overwatch Government Building and noticed that it looked much better than when it did before. The bombardment leveled the place, and a new one was built that was quite larger. He also noticed the rest of the buildings changed. "Has the whole city been changed?" He asked Epikly. "Pseudonymous was in charge of designing the new structure after the city was heavily damaged by the skirmish. It's New Bangclaw now." Epikly replied. Druid felt the marble pillars and smiled, shaking his head slightly. "Sir, some of the civilians, the tech-savvy ones, wanted to repay your protection by outfitting this place. It is now large enough for a full council of officers, and you have your own quarters for sleeping and checking up on mail, you know. Homely things." Epikly said. "They didn't have to do that. I appreciate them for it. Epikly, open my account, and give them each 100 grand into their accounts. They deserve it." Druid said, and he began to walk off towards his new room. "Yes, sir. And, what should I tell them?" Epikly asked. "Tell them that united we should always be, as it reaps the greatest rewards." Druid answered. He stepped inside his room and closed his door. Yes, this room had everything. A Combine Terminal and Screen system, a double bed with a large yellow Overwatch insignia on the covers over a black field, a bathroom, a cooler, even a one-way window to where Druid could see the outside street. It had everything. Plus, when Druid pressed a button, the wall opened up to contain a row of M16's on a rack. He laughed a bit in amazement, and decided to take his armor off. He undid the straps, and felt as if his chest had been crushed, and he just now removed the weights. He was then overwhelmed with the stench of perspiration and iron. He took off all of his armor and got in the shower. When he was done, he decided to send his armor to the wash. He put on his white suit and lay on his bed, which felt like heaven. He remembered the feel of comfort after so many days. Remembered the peace. He didn't have to think now, didn't have to hold a gun, give orders, or plan assaults. He felt good. He thought about all that happened in the uprising, and the skirmish with Kush and Smiley. He thought about when he saw Johnny with the boy, in perhaps their last meeting. He froze his thoughts. Johnny… he then remembered the grinning maniac who killed the person he cared for most, and thought about what he said to Johnny on the day of their leaving. _"_I did what I had to do back then, Johnny. You killed the only person I cared about in this city back then. I consider it payback." _But was it really payback? Removing one's tongue because he killed the girl you loved most?_ He asked himself. Anti-Druid did mean the world to him when they arrived at Bangclaw for the first time… he tried to shut the incident out of his head, and heard a message come in from his terminal. He activated it and listened to the voicemail. "Druid, this is General Vik. I have bad news. Syntox is making his way towards Bangclaw… our last fortification. We need you to guard it at all costs." Vik said. Druid sighed. "Vik… I want to ask you something." He said. Vik paused and said "Go ahead." "If Bangclaw falls today, like Evocity has… and we have nowhere to go, can… can you send this letter back to my home, Fort Kestrel?" Druid asked, as he sent a file over the terminal. "Yes, I will… to whom?" Vik asked. "The person in charge of the fort. Only he can decrypt it." Druid answered. "Thank you." He said, and ended the call. Druid got up, and went outside. He stood on the steps of the Government center, and called all troops to meet him there. Within minutes they stood together, and even a few civilians were in the crowd, Scout and his priests along with them. "Men… Women… today is the day. Today is the day that we truly fight in war. War that has not been seen in these colonies for generations. No longer are we running and hiding. No longer do we have a place to retreat. We have our backs to the walls here." Druid said. The crowd continued to listen intently, and Druid raised his voice. "So let's take Syntox's head and bash it against that wall!" he shouted, and the officers shouted "Hear, hear!" in unison. "We will fight to the bitter end. We may die glorious deaths. Honorable deaths, if we can. We may lose loved ones… we may lose things we can't live without. But with our last breaths, I hope that you can all take theirs from them!" Druid said, and the crowd shouted again. "Remember that we are the last hope for 420's colonies! Remember, brave Overwatch…" (The Overwatch soldiers raised their fists in cheer) "… "Clever Biotech…" (The Biotech soldiers reacted similarly) "… and hard-working civilians of this great land…" (The townspeople, as well as a few 420 warriors raised the greatest cheer) "… Remember, that no matter what comes through that entrance, from the sewers, or in the sky, you will never, EVER, LOSE HOPE!" Druid shouted, and the crowd went wild with cheers. Even Scout clapped and smiled. Druid went back inside, and noticing that his armor was clean again, put it on.

"1st Regiment, take your positions!" A yellow-clad officer shouted. "2nd Regiment, take your positions!" another shouted. "3rd to me!" "Grenadiers, to your posts!" "Rangers, on me!" were heard all throughout the city. Druid led his personal Elite guard regiment of 60 soldiers, which he led into the main square. Scout jogged over to him with his priests. They had matching black-and-white uniforms, and Scout took his mask off, revealing an unburned, but scarred, face. "About time we saw some skin." Druid said, as he put his arm around Scout in an embrace. "So, are we ready for this?" Scout asked. The priests nodded, and Scout nodded as well in response. "Scout, I want you to know that I apologize for what happened at Townsend." Druid said. Scout shook his head. "That's in the past now… this is the present." He said. Druid shrugged and turned to the gate. "This will be one battle which I know we won't have fun fighting." He said. They all travelled to the top of the nearby apartment, where they saw the forest beyond the gate. There, they saw flashing lights, explosions, and heard the sound of gunfire in the far distance. "That'll be the Last Hope fighting them." Pie lord noted. "I heard they didn't like Overwatch control, so now they're forest fighters." "You know, Pie Lord, for the first time, I actually am beginning to respect them." Druid said. Pseudonymous sighed. "I only just now got to see this damn city rebuilt, only to have Syntox knock it down again as if it were made of legos." "Well, you did design it using legos." AbstraKT said. Pseudo flipped him off and AbstraKT chuckled. The soldiers on the wall began to mutter under their breath, in prayer or as a final message to someone far off. Druid heard one soldier mutter, "Frieden, dann Krieg, dann Sieg, dann Frieden wieder bis zum Krieg wird erneut deklariert. Das ist unser Weg. Es wird immer so sein, solange Druide lebt." "Sorry?" Another soldier asked. "It means, Peace, then war, then victory, then peace again until war is declared again. This is our way. It will always be so, as long as Druid lives." The explosions got closer, and the shouts from Last Hope soldiers began to be heard, then a rising war cry in the forest signaled the charge of Syntox's soldiers towards them. The Last Hope were retreating to the gate, from what the officers could see of the clearing in front of the gate, and Druid let them in. "Open fire!" Druid shouted, and the Overwatch soldiers on the walls mounted their MG's and unloaded their drums into the mob of soldiers in the clearing. They fell in droves, and some put up riot shields to protect against the bullets. "Grenadiers! Now!" Epikly shouted, and the soldiers behind the gate threw their grenades as far as they could, with many of them bouncing at the enemy's feet. The blasts blew the riot-shielders off theirs, and enabled further suppressing fire. The enemy was now making use of the sewer tunnel outside, as Druid could see. "Scout, take AbstraKT with you down below, we're tied up here!" Druid shouted, as he fired his M16 through a gap in the fortification. Scout and AbstraKT went down the ladder into the river tunnel. Scout looked to the back of the tunnel, where he saw an explosion that formed a hole large enough for a man to crawl through. He saw soldiers making their way out of the whole and dashed at them. They had barely got on their feet when they saw him, knife in hand. He grabbed one soldier and jabbed him in the gut 4 times before throwing him into another, who fell into the river. AbstraKT was behind excitedly shooting any who fell in the water, and soon none were alive. Scout threw a frag grenade inside the hole, which triggered shouts from inside. He made his way away from the blast, which collapsed the small tunnel they dug. He kicked down one of the doors leading into the sewers and found 3 more soldiers, who he dispatched with ease. AbstraKT searched their bodies and found a paper. "Scout, take a look at this…" He said. Scout walked over and turned on his flashlight, seeing a hand drawn map on the paper. "A map of the entire Bangclaw underground… so that's how they managed to find their way." Scout said. "But… the only point of entry from outside is that sewer tunnel, which led to… here." He said, pointing to a spot on the map. "They're crossing from there somehow, much in the same way we did." "Then let's get there. They're probably going into the city from the subway…" Scout said, and he and AbstraKT ran down the stone stairs to the grates.

Druid fired off his last round from his M16, and noticed that the enemies were now putting up ladders on the walls. "Men! Prepare for close-quarters!" Druid shouted, and the Overwatch soldiers slung their rifles to their backs and pulled out their combat knives and katanas. The ladders began to shake from climbing, and Druid readied his sword to jab the first soldier who went over the ladder. Sure enough, one did and Druid thrust his sword straight into the soldier's unguarded mouth. The other Overwatch troops waited until the enemy was on the walls before engaging. Syntox's troops poured onto the main entrance's ladders, and then over the wall. There they were locked in deadly melee with Overwatch and 420 defenders. Pseudonymous threw one man over the wall before pressing a gun to another's stomach and pulling the trigger. Pie Lord crushed a man's skull with his sledgehammer and swung hard to concuss another. Druid swept his leg around him, catching assailants off-guard. He noticed the heavy horde of soldiers approaching from the forest and shouted, "Men, retreat into the city!" The Overwatch troops either took the stairs or jumped off of the wall, some not making the fall. The Syntoxians were too eager to get over the wall that some fell off the ladder, got trampled by others, or missed the fall as well. Druid ordered the troops to form up a large rank, stretching from the side of the apartment to the far concrete wall, with the rank along the handrail. "First rank lay down on chest, take aim! Second rank, kneel, and aim! Third rank! Aim!" Druid shouted, and the soldiers formed an impressive rifle-wall. The Syntoxians were in plain view on the wall, and Druid shouted "OPEN FIRE!" The whole rank burst with automatic gunfire, tearing Syntox's troops to shreds. The main gate blew open, and Druid shouted "Direct fire to that gap!" The troops pouring through there at least fired, but it made no difference, as by the tens they were cut down. The line ran out of ammo, and Druid knew that he'd have to hold off the army for as long as possible. "CHARGE!" he yelled, and the Overwatch troops broke ranks and ran with their katanas at the ready. Some were gunned down by a weak formation of Syntox's troops, but the charge made collision with the Syntoxians, killing many. Some enemy troops joined the melee from the wall, pouncing on the Overwatch soldiers from above or going down the stairs to flank. The Overwatch troops eventually pushed the Syntoxians out of the main entrance and into the forest, where the true battle would begin, on open field.

Scout kicked down the last Syntoxian who tried feebly to raise his pistol, and slit their throat. AbstraKT gunned down three troops who were on the catwalk, and shot another one zip lining to it. A bullet hit him in the shoulder, causing him to duck behind the doorway. "Scout, I'm hit." He said. Scout pulled him over to the other side and lay down suppressing fire with his pistol. "It didn't go through." AbstraKT said. "Don't worry. It's non-fatal." Scout assured, and he continued firing shots. The soldiers were now zip lining almost in order, and Scout aimed hard for the claw that connected the line to the catwalk. With a few shots, he hit it, and he saw the line fall. The soldiers screamed, and they fell to the leech pit. Scout heard their intensifying screams of pain as the leeches tore them apart below. Scout pulled out some C4 and set a charge on the catwalk, ignoring bullets ricocheting off the metal door from the pipe on the far side. He placed the charge and set it for 30 seconds, as he noticed the soldiers readying up another grapple hook. He placed it out of sight, and ran off, supporting AbstraKT with one arm. He heard soldiers banging against the catwalk, and saw the exit to the subway tunnels. He only just got inside the door when the ground shook, signaling that the C4 had detonated, taking the catwalk with it. Scout crawled alongside the train cars with AbstraKT behind him, as he eventually reached the subway station. There, he found a few Overwatch soldiers. "Scout, AbstraKT? What are you two doing here? Never mind, we'll get a medic to AbstraKT ASAP." One soldier said, and he ran off to the surface. Scout waited with the other soldier. "Has there been any change of orders from Druid?" Scout asked. "Yes: Hold off the army at all costs. It's no longer a saving-lives operation. Druid's taken the fight to the open field in melee." "Well then, why are you still here and not on orders?" Scout asked. "Druid didn't want to be flanked further." The soldier simply said. Scout nodded. "Listen, there's no chance of anybody coming from this end after we've been through there. You can leave your post now." "Yes, sir. Can't wait to kill some of those bastards." The soldier said, and ran off, rifle shouldered. Scout reached for his pistol and decided not to at the last second. He pulled out his belt of knives instead, and ran to the walls. The sound of battle got louder and louder, until Scout saw the whole thing over the wall. Overwatch , 420 and Biotech soldiers, in hand-to-hand, melee, and even ranged combat in a loose mob. Druid himself was on the field, sparring against two of Syntox's officers, while Pseudonymous and Pie Lord were back to back, shooting their guns at any enemy that came near. Scout jumped off the wall and landed softly in front of an Overwatch soldier leaning against the wall, bringing the attention of 3 Syntoxians who were surrounding him. "Ah, so we got ourselves a hero, come to save his fallen comrade!" One soldier said. "Bring it." Scout answered, and the men charged with their katanas. Scout kicked one, and grabbed another and snapped his neck. Scout then had the two men in front of him, and he noticed the ladder directly behind him. He threw a hook up, and the men watched it latch itself onto the ladder. "Now, what good did that do you?" One soldier asked, the other laughing. "This." Scout said, as he yanked the rope down, causing the ladder to fall on top of the two men, leaving Scout unscathed. He pinned the soldiers to the ground, and continued on his way into the battle.

Druid finished off the last soldier facing him when he saw a man in a white suit casually walk up, with his own sword in hand. It was RedArrow, looking immaculate despite the battle. Red wore a half-smile, while Druid prepared his blade. "I daresay this will be a quick fight." Red said. "Yes… it will be." Druid answered. The two paused, and then both rushed forward, clashing their swords in every direction. Druid tried to sweep his leg to trip Red, but Red hopped over, causing Druid to have to roll away from an incoming blade. He got back up, to see Red charging at him again. Their blades met once more, and Red pushed harder and harder against his opponent's sword with his own. Druid's arms strained under the pressure, and he felt as if he would suddenly give up, and let the blade pierce him. But then, Red was knocked off his feet by a black-and-white blur. Druid felt relief, and saw that Scout had tackled Red where he stood. Scout rolled and got back up, knives in hand. RedArrow thrust his legs into the air and hopped back up as well, this time with some dirt on his suit and face. The three men stood in a triangle form, and then RedArrow was met by two of Syntox's soldiers. He said nothing, but instead grabbed one man's head, flung him into the other, and shoved his sword through both. He said nothing, while Druid and Scout looked at him in amazement. Then, the horns began to blow. Syntox's troops began to retreat back into the forest, and the three heard cheering from Overwatch soldiers in the field. _The day was won after all. _Scout thought. He was in disbelief after all that happened, but it was a welcome disbelief at any rate.

The death count was high, however, on the Overwatch side. Out of the 2000 on that section of the wall, only 400 made it out relatively unscathed. Another 250 were wounded, with the rest dead or missing. However, Syntoxian deaths numbered in the thousands as well. The bodies of those soldiers were thrown in the leech pit, while the Overwatch soldiers were buried in the desert. Druid himself gave a speech at the mass funeral, and even Trop and the rest of the Superadmins came back to Bangclaw to mourn. When everyone dispersed, it was evening, and Druid went back to the Government center, which was quiet. He went inside his room, not bothering to turn the lights on, and collapsed on his bed. He didn't remove armor, didn't take his weapons off him, he simply lay on the bed.

Scout bid AbstraKT farewell, as he left the latter's hospital room. He had taken off his armor and sent it to the cleaners earlier, where many others were sending their gear to wash the blood off. He now wore jeans and a wool coat. He continued downstairs to find Trop sitting at a bench. "He'll do alright." Scout said. "Good, good." Trop said, getting up. "Come with me to my room, in the apartments. The Council is forming up again for a celebratory dinner. They invited you in specific." Trop drove them to the apartments, where they made their way to the room. Trop unlocked the door with his gauntlet and let Scout go in first. Scout saw all the Superadmins there, even RedArrow. He even saw Kush and Smiley. Kush had a black eye, and he turned his head towards Scout's location. Scout quickly shot a look elsewhere, and Kush said "Ah, Tropical has arrived!" Everybody greeted Trop and Scout, and when they all sat down on a wide table on the upper level, Trop called for silence. "My good friends. My trusted lieutenants and…" (He paused to consider RedArrow) "… Re-united comrades. Today, we have won a victory like no other. It is unfortunate that Druid himself could not be here with us, but I'm sure he has his own affairs to look after. And so we must follow his example, and look after our own. Today's victory showed that no matter what we may think of each-other, unity is the best defense. We have stopped a seemingly unstoppable force with the help of a seemingly unstoppable force. We have fought fire with fire and came out on top, despite grievous losses. We have shown Syntox that he is never invulnerable. And so, tonight, we celebrate that fact. Let us eat." There was quite a feast indeed. Smoked meats of all kinds, fruits and vegetables from faraway lands, blunts on a silver platter, and the wide variety of drink was only half of what was there. Kush got himself a whole chicken, and RedArrow refused wine, preferring only water. Scout took off his mask and hesitated to reveal the bandages. "Don't worry, Scout. We've seen worse." Norsk said. Scout nodded and took off the bandages. "Whoa, he's healed up fast!" Smiley said, and Scout looked in the mirror screen on his wristband. Indeed it did heal. He didn't even notice it over the many months he'd been wearing them, let alone look in a mirror. He had some scars, but his face looked as normal as before. He smiled and served himself some food and drink. "Well, Scout. I heard you were on the field of battle yourself!" Vik said. Scout nodded. "Yes, I was. It was quite bloody to say the least. I'm glad I sent my armor to be clean." He said. "And, you took out how many solshers?" Kush asked with his mouth full. "About 5 by my count." Scout said. "Ha!" Kush said, swallowing. RedArrow looked on him with mild disgust. "Don't be modest. It was 60, wasn't it?" Scout looked down at his plate, smiling. "Maybe, maybe not." "So, what's the deal with our… guest?" Norsk asked, motioning towards RedArrow across the table. "I have rejoined you, as I learned that Syntox's aims are false." Red calmly said, taking a bite of squash. "Took you this long to notice?" Smiley asked sarcastically. "Yes, actually it did." Red replied coldly. Smiley looked at Red and said nothing more. Trop cleared his throat. "Let's not trigger anything we don't need. We're happy to receive you, RedArrow." He said. "The honor is mine." Red said. There was silence for a few moments before Scout asked "So… when we, um… threw you in the car…" RedArrow turned his head slowly. "… I mean, placed you in the car, was it a bumpy ride?" Scout asked nervously. He laughed nervously as well, and everyone else at the table looked back and forth at each-other. Red began to laugh, and so did the others at the table. They laughed throughout the whole feast afterwards, as they shared stories and told jokes. Only when they were completely wasted (Not Trop or RedArrow, however) did they leave the room. They each walked up and down the stairs to their respective rooms in the apartment, and soon it was only Trop and RedArrow. Trop looked out the window while 4 servants cleaned up. Red stood beside him to his left and sighed. "It was a good feast." He said. Trop looked to his left and smiled. "It'll be one of the last we ever have." They stood in silence, looking over the large city. RedArrow noted the Overwatch HQ shining brightly in the distance. "It all came down to him." Trop said. Red looked quizzical. "Druid." He said, in a half-question. "Yes… had it not been for him at all we would be long erased from history." Trop said. "I wonder if he knows that." Red said, and Trop turned his body to face Red. "Yes, I'm sure he does." He said, looking downwards. There was a long pause, and both Red and Trop thought about the dark future ahead should Druid use that power…

_**PART TWO: CABIN FEVER**_

**Chapter 10**: Battle of Crane Point

It wasn't much of a sight to see compared to the battle that she had fought in the Invasion of California by Syntox's forces, but watching this Smeagol noted that there was at least honor to this battle. The tribes fought with a "Take your turn" style of shooting arrows, throwing spears, axes, and even fighting each other in melee. She watched through her binoculars as one by one, the Black Cloud tribe of Crane Point began to repel their attackers, the Horse Manes. Eventually, the Horse Manes made a surrender, and both sides politely collected their fallen and wounded off of the field, occasionally making friendly gestures to each-other. Smeagol silently wished that this was the case of the war in the Colonies, but alas it would never be. She got up on her feet and slung her rifle on her back, climbing down the vantage point where she was watching the fight. She noticed that her partner, Xenomorph, was doing the same on the opposite end of the valley. They both parkoured their way through the various obstacles to reach their tents outside of a lone house overlooking the valley. There was a single road next to that house, leading to a separate neighborhood. That lone house they were travelling to was the home of yet another tribe, the Storm Warriors. They were initially hostile towards the two, but when their leader died while attempting to assassinate them in their tents, the tribe looked to Xeno and Smeagol, two outlanders, as their new chieftains. They came with 4 Overwatch soldiers, given by Druid as a sign of goodwill, but the Overwatch troops merely tolerated the tribe, where Xeno and Smeagol were more interested in diplomacy. Smeagol and Xeno reached the house and opened the door, seeing tribals sitting cross-legged in a large circle around a fire, where the medicine man was dancing. The soldiers were looking out of the windows throughout the house. Xeno went upstairs to offload his gear. He had been carrying a machine gun and heavy armor in case things went wrong, whereas Smeagol had light leather armor and a single rifle. Xeno had insisted that the valley was a dangerous place, and that he needed protection, but Smeagol had merely laughed and said that if he was to get anywhere in this territory, he needed to go light. Surprisingly, he moved quite agile in his heavy armor, although not as quickly as Smeagol. She sat with the tribals, who moved slightly to allow room for her in the circle. She joined in with the clapping until the dance was done. The medicine man then raised his arms and raised his head up to the ceiling above him, all the while keeping his eyes closed. Smeagol had learned long before that this was a sign to quiet down, for a prophesy would be told, but she still found it slightly odd to this day. "The spirits have spoken!" The old man said, and the whole tribe quieted down. "The horde moves soon, like horses through the plains. Crushing rocks that would try to stop them. Where these horses go, I cannot say, neither can I tell what is their aim. They wait now, after fighting long and hard, and then when they recover, they fight long and hard again."

Smeagol and Xeno went outside to their tents. "So, what did the crazy old man say?" Xeno asked. Smeagol glared at him and said "He's not a 'crazy old man'. He's a medicine man, and he made a prophesy." Xeno scoffed and said "Alright.. what was his *prophesy*?" "Whatever he said, it clearly related to them." Smeagol said, pointing to the camp at the bottom of the valley. Xeno looked and sighed. "What else is new? Jason already has 6 or more tribes under his banner…" he said, getting inside his bedroll. "Well, you know why we were sent here, right?" Smeagol asked. "Why I was sent here, you mean. You only returned here." Xeno said. "Do you remember?" Smeagol asked, ignoring Xeno's remark. "To have the tribes either help us or refuse to help Jason." Xeno said. "That's right. Now, he already has 6 tribes. That prophesy tells of him moving out again to recruit or crush more. We need to stop it from happening." "Smeags, do you ever think that you're pushing yourself too hard? There must be 20 or more tribes here in this valley alone. There's going to be some who'll refuse, so you don't have to worry about failing to do your job. For Trop's sake, we're chieftains of a tribe! We've gotten this far, so you need to rest!" Xeno explained. Smeagol merely rolled over in her bedroll, her back to Xeno. "Listen, Smeags. I don't argue with you because I don't care about them. I argue because I care about you. You're the only friend I recognize in this part of the land, and I am concerned that you'll overdo yourself." Xeno said. "Goodnight." He finished, and he laid his head on his pillow. Smeagol thought about that for a moment and decided that he was right. She laid her rifle beside her in the bedroll and tried to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the camp below, Jason Bourne was emerging from his war tent. He was protected by his 6 elite guards, who were handpicked by him to defend his life. They did not have standard body armor like that of Syntox's army, but rather, they adapted to the Valley's environment, and chose to wear lightweight, but durable, bearskin hide armor. Jason himself wore armor that was from Tropical Town, with full armguards, war mask, and a bulletproof lightweight vest with a leather poncho over it. The camp was comprised of 8 tents. Two very large ones for Jason's force, and 6 smaller ones for the tribes he had recruited. Recruited was a weak word, as Jason had had to… persuade them to join. Syntox's orders were to only pick the strongest for the army, so he personally challenged the leaders of those tribes to single combat. He had won every time, and often after he dealt with the leaders, he set the whole tribe to fight against itself, with the remaining 5 survivors joining him. This was a symbolic practice, as he was indeed following Syntox's policy of "Only the best". Jason made his way to one of the large tents and searched for his lieutenant. The lieutenant sat with the rest of the men at their dinner, and when one saw Jason, they rapidly got up from their benches and saluted, standing neatly in rows. "Lieutenant, come with me." Jason said. The lieutenant rapidly walked towards Jason, who calmly walked into the middle of the campground. Jason turned around to face the soldier. "I heard reports that you allowed your squad to trade with the locals." Jason said. "Sir, it was in an attempt to—" Jason pulled out his switchblade and jammed it into the man's chest. "An attempt to get them on our side. Was that what you were to say? Well, let me tell you… what if they were not interested? My report says you gave them guns, armor, and knowledge of tactics in exchange for loyalty that they had to 'think about'. Your foolishness has possibly given us another tribe to fight off, this time, they would know how to fight and think like us. I cannot allow this." Jason said, and he twisted the knife. He pulled it out and kicked the lieutenant to the ground. "No, leave him be." He told a pair of nearby soldiers, walking towards him. "He can drag himself to Medical." And with that, Jason walked back off to his war tent. He stood at the map, where 4 other of his subordinates waited. "That tribe will either be our greatest threat. Make sure that we give them a trade in their favor to join us." He said.

Smeagol snapped awake from a nightmare she had. He imagined returning to a flaming ruin of the colonies, with a horde of black, red-eyed horses stampeding towards her. She rubbed her eyes and realized it was still night. Four-o-clock from her watch. She got up from her bedroll and looked at the camp. All was quiet. She decided to go scouting to find some meat to hunt. Bear meat wasn't the best tasting stuff around, but it filled the tribe's stomachs, and was considered more acceptable than supplies from the Colonies. She attached a suppressor to her salvaged M24 and took careful aim at a bear, which was scratching at the trunk of a tree. She held her breath, and the bear turned it's head to her, yet didn't see her. Smeagol carefully put her finger on the trigger, and then suddenly, the bear ran off towards her. She couldn't get up, paralyzed with fear, so she laid her head down into the ground, and prepared for a mauling, while hoping that it didn't see her. Surprisingly, it didn't, and the bear merely ran right past her, nudging her leg a little with its back paw. She lifted her head up and breathed a sigh of relief, but heard a large number of footsteps approaching, in a marching fashion. She got up, and tried to move as quietly as she could back to the tents, but as fast as she could as well. She looked behind her and saw flags bobbing just over the hill, and she took cover behind a nearby rock. She waited for the footsteps, and held her breath. She heard the marching go right past her, and she saw Jason's troops running down the path to the house. She then assumed that they were after the tribe, and with this thought, she became deeply angry. She waited until the last man was about 20 feet away when she took aim and fired, hitting him in the back of the head, piercing the helmet. The soldiers instantly took cover, firing at the general direction where Smeagol was, and she was forced to move her position. "Over there!" One soldier shouted, and a hail of bullets whizzed by her. She ran to the top of the hill where she was previously, and fired off another shot, killing two soldiers. The first died of the chest wound, but the bullet tore through and hit another in the head. Now the soldiers were la ying down a steady stream of fire. She noticed that they actually were trying to preserve their lives, instead of uselessly throw them at her to waste. _Must be Jason's own recruits. _She thought, and decided to run over the hill, dodging shots as she went. She glanced at the camp below and saw another group of soldiers being sent out across the valley. She couldn't stop to watch, so she continued running until she found herself at the point where the bear was at. She hid behind a tree and decided that a rifle was not the way to go. She pulled out a fold-able bow and assembled it, slinging her rifle over her shoulder beforehand, and pulled an arrow out of the quiver. She peeked around the trunk to see three soldiers slowly making their way up the hill. She opened fire again, killing one man, as they dropped to the ground. Smeagol reached for her spare mag when she realized she didn't have one anymore. She lay her head back, knowing this was the end. Then, she heard screams of pain from the soldiers behind the hill, and she looked over to see arrows flying towards them from the tribe's house. Each arrow found its mark, and soon all of the troops were dead or wounded. She ran to the house where Xeno was waiting with his rifle. "Smeags, what's happening? We saw the men marching here, and then saw you shooting at them." Xeno said. "They were coming after the tribe. I had to defend you." Smeagol said. "Well, we got them all… and that'll piss off Jason now." Xeno said, and Smeagol looked at all the bodies. "Well… we need to loot their corpses. For gear, guns, ammunit—" "Smeags, the tribe is forbidden to use guns. It goes against their moral code of battle." Xeno reminded her. "FOR US, THEN!" Smeagol shouted. Her face turned red and she walked off, eventually collapsing on her knees, covering her face. Xeno sighed and knelt down next to her. "Don't worry… it's not the end." Xeno said, trying to comfort her. "I… I just put us in the middle of this. I'm so sorry." She sobbed. Xeno hesitated then put his arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. "No, don't be. It's not your fault. You saved us from being wiped out." Xeno said. He looked from Smeagol to the camp, and pulled out his binoculars. He looked down at Jason's camp, and saw that Jason himself was looking back. Xeno's heart stopped for a second, and he saw Jason smile slightly. He threw down the binoculars, and turned his attention back on Smeagol. "Come on… it'll be alright. Let's get up and back inside the house." Xeno said, helping her up.

Smeagol went to sleep near the fire, while Xeno watched over her. He pitied her, thinking of the tribe she grew up with, about to go to war. He imagined the possibility that Jason could be beat, but then realized that they only won this one because of an ambush. He saw the medicine man walk to him, and asked, "That prophesy you mentioned... what did you mean by the 'horses on the plains'?" The medicine man sat cross-legged across the dying fire. "It means what it says. Horses dash across plains as a horde, unstoppable. Today, we saw not horses, but men dashing across plains, creating thunder as horse hooves do." The medicine man said. Xeno finally understood. "The unstoppable horde is Jason's army." "Indeed. You have seen him, destroying the name of other tribes, forcing them to serve. He has never lost a battle except now. When he was undefeated, other tribes look to him as an ally. If word gets out about the defeat… they will listen no longer." The man said. Xeno nodded and looked at Smeagol. "She thinks it is her fault… the ambush." He said. "We would've fought anyway. Best to fight well and die now, than to wait and wither away." Came the reply from the medicine man.

Several hours passed, and soon there came a noise of marching from the ridge. Xeno knew what this meant, and shouted "Attackers!" the tribe looked to him all at once, then reached for their bows and hatchets. Xeno took his rifle and took cover at a nearby window. Smeagol took cover at his back, on the second window on the corner. They heard the war chief give the command to walk out, and soon the whole tribe, except for Xeno and Smeagol, and the 4 Overwatch troops with them, were out on the field. Smeagol held her breath in, hearing voices outside. "… We merely want the murderer who started the slaughter. Jason will promise not to harm the tribe if you are honest with us." "You foreigners are all the same. First you speak of peace, and then there is war. Then talk of peace again, and more war. When will you hold by your oath, if we should hold by ours?" the war chief said. Then, another voice said, "You know… you remind me of a man named Tangodown, in my home country." Xeno's eyes widened… it was Jason's voice. Jason, personally here. Suddenly, a gunshot made Smeagol and Xeno jump, and a few screams from the tribe were heard. "He was a stubborn oaf like you." Jason said. Smeagol began to sob again, and Xeno noticed this, and tried to keep her quiet. She covered her mouth, as murmuring was heard by Jason. Then, the tribe began to scream and run, as the troops opened fire with their assault rifles, cutting all of them down. Xeno felt Smeagol grab onto him tightly, and he also did so, himself tearing up. He imagined the dead piling up outside… then, he heard the loud whine of a megaphone. "If you are in the house, whoever killed my men, think of what you have caused. Today, you have blood on your hands, and if you do not submit yourself now, you will be marked as a coward and a villain." Jason said. Xeno got up, Smeagol still on his shoulder. "Any of you have smokes, frags… anything?" He asked the Overwatch soldiers in a whisper. "We're reconnaissance troops. We travel light. So, we only have our rifles, 3 spare clips, lightweight body armor and… wait, David, you said you smuggled some grenades from storage?" One private asked. "What? Private David, that is against the laws of Overwatch if that is true." The sergeant said. "Well, it's going to do us good here, since yes, I do have some in my pouch. However, there's only three." David said, and he pulled them out. Xeno took one, and said "On the count of three… one…" "You can come out now!" Jason said in a mocking voice. "Two…" Xeno whispered. David and the sergeant both had grenades as well. "Hellooooo?" Jason sang, and Xeno said "Three." The men all threw their grenades, and Jason instinctively somersaulted to the side, the grenades landing at the soldiers' feet. The blast took many of them unawares, and when Jason looked back, half his force remained unscathed. "Open fire!" he shouted, and bullets riddled the house in all directions. "Retreat to one of the bedrooms, now!" the sergeant shouted, and they made a crouching retreat into a nearby doorway. The bullets stopped hitting everything after 5 minutes, and soon the shouts of "No ammo! And "Spent!" were heard. The group heard footsteps all around the house, and soon they heard further chatting, but did not hear of footsteps in the house. Then, they heard the sound of metal clanking, and the sound of… "Blow torches… they're locking us in." David said. Xeno looked at him, and then remembered Smeagol. She was no longer crying, but was now petrified with a mixture of shock, fear, sadness, guilt… They heard someone climbing up a ladder, and took cover to avoid being spotted. Then, another metal plate was welded over the windows, making the room darker. They waited in dread silence until when the last plate was welded, making the house significantly darker. They heard a final call from the megaphone outside: "We can always wait… but can you?" Jason said, and then, silence.

**Chapter 11: **Entrapment

The first week, nobody knew what to think. They were under siege now, and every call Sergeant Bird made went unanswered. "Is there going to be any help?" Private David asked. "Well, they should be able to hear something on an emergency radio…" the other private, by the name of Aces, said. "Doesn't mean there isn't a jammer or anything… Jason's from Tropical Town, he could've just brought one." Xeno said. Everyone had used a single flashlight for the nights, and the rations that the Overwatch troops brought were enough to dispense evenly, plus the supplies in the tribe's storage. Even then, however, things did not look too well for the group. Private Aces had begun to awake with nightmares, and Sergeant Bird became grittier, perhaps to offset any loss of hope. Meanwhile, Xeno and Smeagol sat together, away from the soldiers. Xeno noticed one more soldier, completely silent, in the corner. That soldier would stare into space for hours, at least, and when offered food, he would refuse, often sticking to his corner. Smeagol turned bitter and often snapped at the soldiers when they offered her anything. The only person she would talk to was Xeno, and even then he felt he had to be careful around her. They all sat in silence, until the sergeant called for dinner. They opened up another ration pack, and using a portable stove, they cooked up the canned meat and served it equally. Xeno took his share and retreated back to his own corner, where Smeagol soon joined him. Mute (as the other soldiers had taken to calling him) took his without saying a word, and only nibbled occasionally, keeping his hand over the bowl to keep the heat inside it. "Well, we did a scouting of the area while you two were asleep." Sergeant Bird said. "We found out that the front door is the only place not welded shut. He's certainly waiting out there, though. My guess is, he's trying to starve us out or make us submit." "But we won't, we've got a stable living here, right?" Xeno asked. "Well, at the rate we're going, the food supplies will last for at least one more month, and that's counting the Tribe's supplies. We have an equal amount of water, but if we're to cook, we'd need that in addition to the drinking supply." Private David said, shuffling. Xeno sighed, and decided to get up. "Where are you going?" Sergeant Bird asked. "Where do you think? It's not as if I can leave the FUCKING HOUSE NOW!" Xeno screamed, and stormed out of the room. He went downstairs and grabbed his head. He saw the remains of the campfire, the beds, and the weapon racks that the tribe used. He decided to lay down on one of the beds and try to clear his thoughts. He lay there for 15 minutes simply thinking when he heard someone come down the stairs. It was Smeagol. "I'm sorry." He said. Smeagol said nothing, and Xeno repeated. "No, don't be." Smeagol said, as she walked closer. "I understand now that it's nothing we did. It was going to happen eventually." She said. Xeno took a deep breath. "Is anything stopping us from walking out that door right now?" he asked. "Only ourselves." Smeagol said.

As the days dragged on, their moods became worse and worse. They had to start rationing the rations, and some went to bed hungry or thirsty. Meanwhile, they heard cheering outside, and from cracks in between the metal plates and windows, the sight of Jason's troops enjoying a feast could be seen. It was torture at its finest. Private David had started to pray, which was odd to his colleagues because he apparently never was a religious man. He prayed to some being that the others simply couldn't understand, even as he tried to spread his beliefs to them. "He is one and all; He will save what parts of him are in danger. He will save us!" he had said, but the others didn't know what to answer. He prayed to "He" every hour it seemed, and sometimes the sergeant would mutter something about "Going nuts". However, as strange as Xeno found David's behavior, he couldn't blame him for trying to find hope. They were faced with a siege and eventual starvation, and happiness was in short supply. Xeno himself felt urges to lash out whenever Sergeant Bird ordered anyone to do something. Smeagol cooled off her temper, but her irritation was replaced with an emptiness, as if she didn't care anymore if they all died or not. She began to act like Mute, often staying silent sometimes for whole days, and speaking only when she was asked a "yes" or "no" question. Xeno had tried many times to cheer her up, but nothing worked. After attempting one final time, Smeagol finally looked him in the eyes, with a blank look on her face. Xeno then sighed and turned away, walking into the other room. Aces began to have insomnia, and would cry out in the night, waking all of them up periodically. Four days later, Aces stood up and looked at the two others in the room, Smeagol and Mute. He was tearing up, and Smeagol sensed something wrong. He quickly drew out his pistol and held it under his chin. "NO!" Smeagol screamed, as he pulled the trigger, spraying blood on the corner behind him. Mute jumped up and held Aces' body, checking for a pulse. Smeagol crouched with him as Sergeant Bird, David and Xeno rushed into the room. Mute shook his head, and set down Aces. Smeagol got up and took two steps backward, out of breath. "Goddamnit." Bird muttered, and Xeno's heart pounded. He looked at the body, the blood, and the pistol, and rushed into the other room, vomiting onto the floor. Smeagol lay down on her side, and tried to imagine that it was all a dream, while David prayed in silence. She eventually found her way to sleep, while the body was carried downstairs, laid on the bed. Xeno recovered from his shock and walked back into the room, where Bird was wiping up the blood from the wall. He leaned against the wall and slid down, sitting next to Mute. Mute turned his head, and Xeno closed his eyes. Bird left the room, and Xeno asked, "You have anything that you use to write on?" Mute looked at him and nodded slowly. He pulled out a journal, filled with pictures and drawings, logs and entries. Mute handed Xeno the book, pointing at the first page, where he saw a picture of a girl, standing next to a younger Mute. Both were smiling, and they were next to a house, which Xeno remembered he saw in California. "Your daughter?" Xeno asked, and Mute nodded, smiling slightly. Xeno flipped a page and saw the first entry. "May I…?" he asked, and Mute nodded again. Xeno began to read.

"_Journal Entry 1. I enlisted with the dream of fighting the Last Hope, to civilize the colonies and to make the world a peaceful place for my daughter to live in. I had a dream that I'd only serve for one year, then return happily to my daughter and girlfriend in California. I now see, three years later, that it was not meant to be. Overwatch keeps its soldiers for as long as they are remotely needed or wanted. I was in this for life, it seems. She must be twelve now, playing with the other kids, kissing boys, and probably wanting to follow in my footsteps. I hope she doesn't… war is no place for women. My squad, under Sergeant Bird, got assigned to Bangclaw in the thick of things. It looked as if the war was finally won, because I was there when Druid had been preparing for the decisive strike. However, Syntox Turtles, the traitor, had changed things. Right now we're under Syntox's roof, and… right now there's a woman approaching our gates. Have to stop writing for now, because I've been ordered on the wall."_

Xeno read this, and closed it. He gave it to Mute and said "I'm sorry." Mute put the book away and smiled sadly. Xeno remembered the carnage at California, the invasion, the burning, and the news that many soldiers and civilians died. He felt something being placed in his lap, and it was another journal with an Overwatch insignia. He looked at Mute, who pointed at it and then pointed at Smeagol. Xeno looked confused, and Mute took the book, got up, and set it next to Smeagol. He sat back down, and Xeno understood. "You're giving the only thing that's helping you remember… to keep her sane?" Xeno asked. Surprisingly, Mute nodded and closed his eyes. "Thank you. When we get out of here, I'll tell Druid about your selflessness." Xeno said. Mute did not respond, but Xeno thought he saw a slight expression of relief in his face. Xeno lay down and drifted off to sleep, but before he truly drifted, he thought he heard the sound of a scuffle in the room below. Thinking it was just Bird or David lying down below, he thought nothing of it for the last few seconds.

**Chapter 12: **Insanity

Xeno was walking on the sidewalks of Tropical Town, waving to the passerby. He took a breath of air and opened the door to the hotel. He walked up a flight of stairs and ended up at the office of Jason Bourne. He knocked thrice on the door, and Jason answered. "Ah, Xeno! Good to see you today!" he said, and Xeno smiled. "Please, have a seat." Jason said as Xeno walked in. He sat in front of Jason's desk, and Jason began to speak. "You remember that Re-Animator prototype Syntox made in Bangclaw?" he asked. Xeno scoffed and said "Yes… a barbaric way to bring someone back to life, I think." "Well, we've just begun working on a new Re-Animator. This one has a similar function to that of Syntox's, but is handheld and does not take lives. We're planning to use this in the civil war to reduce casualties." "I agree with your aim, but remember when Syntox tested his to revive Pkaboo?" Xeno asked in concern. Jason's smile fell slightly and he said "Pkaboo was merely distraught at the means of bringing him back to life—""He took 6 shots for a USP, and when that didn't kill him, he used a shotgun. Tell me, what difference will there be, because the same will happen to the fighters in the war." Xeno said. Jason went silent, and Xeno looked down. "Well, I am happy that there is a more efficient means. But, until that issue is fixed… I'm not volunteering my men to test it out." He said. Xeno got up and walked towards the door… which wasn't there anymore. He turned around, and saw Jason staring directly at him, but the most noticeable feature was that the office was now pitch-black. Jason's eyes seemed to be the only thing Xeno saw. The eyes went closer and closer, and Xeno heard the sound of alarms going off everywhere around him, and he crouched, covering his head and ears. He looked down and saw that he was falling into a gaping mouth, and he looked up again, to see Jason's silhouette, with bright white eyes, standing over him. Jason pulled his leg back, and swung it towards Xeno.

Xeno snapped awake, breathing rapidly. He heard rustling next to him and jumped, but instead saw Smeagol looking at him, still laying on the floor. "Just a nightmare." He said, and Smeagol lay back down, facing the wall. He looked around and saw Mute, still sleeping. He rubbed his eyes and decided to get up and investigate the downstairs for anything unusual, following the noise from the last night. He made his way down the stairs, but felt something metallic under his foot. He looked down a split second after searing pain engulfed his leg, and he fell down the stairs, screaming in pain. He looked down and saw a bear trap on his ankle, which was now bleeding heavily. He looked around, and only saw David, walking slowly towards him, with what looked like a knife. David hummed a tune as he crouched down, but then suddenly, he hid the knife and began to breath heavily, a sign of panic on his face. Xeno heard the two upstairs shuffling, and heard David whisper "Damn." Under his breath. Smeagol and Mute came downstairs, and Mute paused for a moment before pulling out his pistol and aiming at David, who put his hands up, backing away from Xeno. Smeagol tried to pry the bear trap off, and eventually did. David stuttered, "I..I… well, really, I… I didn't know…" Mute tilted his head to one side, motioning for David to go to one side of the wall. David nodded and quickly moved there. Smeagol looked at Mute and mute motioned for her to carry Xeno upstairs, leaving him alone with David.

Smeagol searched around for some disinfectant, and found some in Aces' rucksack. She poured some on the wound, when Xeno tensed up heavily. "Don't worry… it's... It's going to be alright." She said, pouring more disinfectant. Xeno opened his mouth to scream, but only a croaking sound came out. She began to insert morphine, and then applied a bandage, when she realized something was wrong. Xeno looked pale. Not because of blood loss, but because of something else. She un-did the bandage and saw a clear substance around the wound, which looked like… "Rattlesnake venom." She said, and she felt her breath leave her lungs. She fumbled around in the bag, but could not find antivenom. She began to panic, and felt Xeno's hand on her arm. She looked at him and he opened his mouth. "Let me go." He said weakly. "No, I can't. We're… we're friends." She said. "My time is here." Xeno said. Mute continued to hold his gun at David, who began to talk again. "Honestly… I had no idea that was there! Bird was the one who put it there after he ran out!" David said, and Mute paused. He saw that Aces' body was no longer on the bed, and also saw that they storeroom door was closed. Mute walked to it, holding his pistol to David all the way. He opened the door, and saw both Aces and Bird's bodies in the closet. He saw that they had chunks missing from their arms, and realized in a fraction of a second that David had resorted to cannibalism. He turned his head just in time to see David rush at him, tackling Mute to the ground. David punched Mute repeatedly, and Mute fired off a shot, which went through the ceiling. The gunshot caused David to hold his ear in pain, and Mute managed to roll him off, while trying to get on his feet. He pulled the trigger again, but nothing happened. The gun had jammed. Mute dropped his pistol and pulled out his knife, ready to finish off the cannibal. However, it only seemed that David was playing injury, because he rolled to the left, knocking Mute off his feet. David pulled out his own knife, and pounced, but Mute rolled out of the way, causing the incoming knife to be stuck in the floor. Mute reached out, and the tip of the knife pierced David's side David shouted and pulled the knife out of the floorboards. They both got up on their feet, holding their knives at each-other. They paced the room, and David tried to tease Mute by thrusting slightly in different directions. Mute thought of a plan of attack, but then paused. He thought about how he had no family to return to after the burning of California, nothing to fight for anymore, and nothing to hold him back from anything. Knowing this, he exhaled. David paused and had a look of confusion on his face. Mute looked up at him, and began to walk straight towards him. David was alarmed, and began to back away, closer and closer to the wall, knife in hand. Mute raised his knife and charged at David. The cannibal stabbed him 2 times in the chest, but it did not stop Mute from attacking him. Eventually, David dropped his knife, and fell dead in the corner, from 8 stab wounds. Mute, him having 5 stab wounds, staggered back. He knelt on the ground, feeling his blood dripping from him. He felt someone pick him up, and looked up. It was Smeagol, who carried him up the stairs. She laid him next to Xeno, who was now shivering. Mute tried to get up, but Smeagol made him lay back down. "Its rattlesnake venom… there's no anti-venom here." She said, and Mute looked at her. He remembered the journey here, and also remembered that David had an encounter with a rattlesnake… He held up one finger, which got Smeagol's attention. He motioned a person going down stairs, and then put his hands inside of his vest, pulling out various objects. "Loot the bodies?" Smeagol asked, and Mute nodded frantically. She got up rapidly and rushed down the stairs, and 5 minutes later, she came back up with a bottle of anti-venom mixture. She tried to pour some down Xeno's throat, but he coughed it up. "Please… please swallow this…" she said, trying again, and Xeno finally swallowed the anti-venom, causing a coughing fit soon after. She turned to Mute, and readied a bandage when he stopped her. "No, you need this!" She said, but he got up, after much struggle, and staggered out of the room. "No, get back here! You've lost blood!" She cried. He almost fell down the stairs, and made his way to the door. "No, no!" She screamed, and he opened it. She had expected bullets, arrows, or spears to fly through the doorway and kill him. She had expected the end. Instead, she heard voices outside. "Go, go, go! Help him!" one voice said through a communicator. She heard footsteps go closer to the door, and saw hands reach out to grab Mute and pull him outside. She saw familiar soldiers pour through the door, leveling guns at her. "Hold!" a voice said, as an Overwatch officer made his way to the front. He looked at Smeagol, who was covered in blood, and then to the staircase. She looked at the staircase as well and saw Xenomorph crawling down the stairs. "Help him up!" the officer said, and the left side of the group of soldiers went to help him. "Are you alright, miss?" the officer asked, and Smeagol said nothing. She raced at him and hugged him tightly. The officer, who had mixed feelings of surprise, confusion, and relief, hugged her back. He wasn't too thrilled with having blood on his uniform, however.

It turned out, from what Smeagol had learned, that Jason had long left the site, and returned to his camp. Meanwhile, Overwatch troops had gotten the radio signal and were en route to the camp, but were delayed by bandits. Smeagol did not get the rest of the story, because she simply didn't care. She was just relieved after all this time to finally see the light of day. She was given a new set of clothes, and given a big meal to regain her strength. She now walked around the Overwatch camp, looking at Jason's camp nearby. It had gotten bigger than when she last saw it, but she could care less now. Jason would still pay in due time. She made her way to the commander's tent and met with the officer in charge, whose name was Sora. "I heard about what you did for our troops in there. I thank you on behalf of Overwatch and Druid. And on behalf of 420." Sora said. "I came to deliver this." She said, and pulled out Mute's journal. Sora looked at it, and she continued, "This is the journal of Mute… the soldier who saved us from Private David. He gave it to me… I now know his story." She said. Sora took it, and then asked "To who do you want to send this, me?" "No… send it to Druid. When he's done… send it back to me." She said, and Sora's frown rose. "I will do that. Your partner on your recon mission, name of Xenomorph? He's in the medical tent, getting patched up. That was a brave thing you did, if I haven't said before." Sora said. Smeagol said nothing and bowed slightly, moving out of the tent. She overheard the officer say something about "I wish she was in our military… she'd be Druid's top lieutenant, I bet."

A few days later, Xenomorph was in a cast, and both he and Smeagol sat on chairs overlooking Jason's camp. From what they could see, Jason was trying to escape the valley… but Overwatch, along with tribal allies, were putting up a good fight. They watched the battle play out, as Overwatch secured the dam, and then bombarding Jason's camp while evacuation was taking place. They missed Jason's VTOL escaping, but the other enemies were not so lucky. The tribals in particular revolted against Jason't troops, and presented their heads in front of Overwatch soldiers, as they agreed to assist in the war in the Colonies. Smeagol watched as the valley was secured, and she turned her head to look at Xeno. She smiled at him and said "When this is all over… what do you think we should do?" "Well… I was thinking we could go to Tropical Town, get jobs in… accounting." Xeno said. Smeagol laughed. "Accounting? You're serious?" she asked. Xeno chuckled and said "Yes, I'm being serious. Something that doesn't have to do with war, killing…" "I was thinking maybe… retiring early, live in California when it's finished with repairs." Smeagol said. Xeno paused his sentence and said, "You know what? You're right. I'll go with you." The two laughed as the battle finished, and soldiers all across the valley cheered into the night.

2 months later…

Smeagol and Xeno arrived at California, where half of the city was already rebuilt. They had met with Scout360Pyro, who was overseeing the construction of the new church, and were told that the house they described was untouched by the invasion, but that there were already people still living inside of it. They drove to that location, and Smeagol got out of the passenger's seat. "Stay here… I won't be long."

She knocked on the front door, and a teenage girl answered the door. "Hello?" she asked. "Hi. Do you live here alone?" Smeagol asked. Soon, another woman came to the door, and said "No, she doesn't… what do you need?" Smeagol pulled out Mute's journal, and held it out. "He gave me this. I read it already… he will return soon." Smeagol said. The woman froze, and she hugged Smeagol, tearing up. Xeno watched from the car as Smeagol left the house. She got back in the car and Xeno said "You know… I think we should live here." He said. Smeagol looked at the house next-door and said "Sure, but you're paying bills."

_**PART THREE: THE LAST ATTACK**_

**Chapter 13:** Ambush on Evo Road

Scout had to say… California needed a renovation. The church was now at least 4 times as big, and the buildings surrounding it were constructed rather nicely. The bank was expanded, and the Biotech labs had all the prototypes taken out of it before the building was demolished. Pseudo was in charge of the design, but Scout wanted to carve out a piece of his own. Putting the sentence together in his mind, Scout laughed. He was in wonder at the rate things were going. He walked inside the church, which was completely empty. He remembered the church in Bangclaw so long ago, and decided to carry on that tradition. He called Pie Lord and AbstraKT over, and told them to go recruiting for new members for the church. He convinced Pseudo to design a giant statue of Johnny (heaving a penis over his head like a sword) in the place where the parking lot next to the old church once was. Scout then hopped in his Camaro and drove off to other parts of the city, to help around where he could.

Meanwhile, Druid was at Bangclaw, preparing for a feast for the victory over Jason's forces. The feast would take place in Evocity, and many were reported to be coming. He accessed his terminal to see that the shipments of M9K weapons that Tropical had ordered had arrived, and that Trop had also requested the delivery of WAC aircraft, replacing the militia aircraft that was cobbled together in recent years. Druid had recently got his hands on a few jets and helicopters, and his men were flying them around in training right now. He walked out into the Overwatch Stronghold's courtyard, to see recruits training with their M9K M16's. He noticed that they did quite well with them, perhaps better than his normal soldiers would with their Tropical Town M16's. He looked at the recruits and turned on his communicator. "Epikly, have our armies switch from Tropical Town weapons to M9K if they can. Preferably start with the home troops and work our way outwards." He said. "Will do. We will need many more shipments, though." Epikly responded. "I'll place a large order. Just get the men equipped. Better now than later." Druid said, and closed the call. He walked out into the street, and saw a man walking towards him. The man had a lightweight ballistic vest on over a hoodie, and a face mask with a grin design on it. He made a friendly gesture to Druid, who decided that it was not an assassin. "Greetings. Are you the one they call Druid?" the guy asked. "Didn't know that they called me anything, but yes." Druid answered. The man lowered his hood and face mask, revealing a long scar on his forehead. "My name is Rigormortis Tortoise, or Rigo for short. I came here to join up with your army following a… breakout from a Downtown jail." He said. Druid raised his eyebrows and said "We don't take in wanted criminals, Rigo. You'll have to look elsewhere." "What if I told you I was arrested for 6 counts of sabotage, all in Syntox's territories, and evading justice?" Rigo asked, half-smiling. Druid nodded. "Yep, you're in. Do you have any experience with M9K weapons?" "If it's explosives, then yes. Guns? Any fool can pull a trigger." Rigo said. "Well, any fool can also have his gun backfire unless he takes care of it. You're going to be a saboteur, befitting of your skills. Go see Epikly, he'll direct you to the armory. I need to head out for the feast." Druid said, and patted Rigo on the shoulder. Rigo went through the gate while Druid hopped in his El Camino. He noticed the picture of his late girlfriend in the windshield and smiled, as he turned the ignition key.

Trop and RedArrow were already at Evocity, along with Norsk and a newly promoted Blight. They were discussing war tactics, as Trop had been doing for the past 4 days with Vik. Trop surprisingly wasn't bored with it, which made him unsure whether he should be worried that he had grown fond of planning the deaths of men, or simply happy that things were going the way he wanted them to. Syntox was now abroad, with no home cities near. Spies reported that he was on his way to lands outside of the 420 Colonies, presumably the Dam or somewhere close to it to meet up with what was left of Jason's force. Other than that, there was no info on his whereabouts. Trop had placed many points on the map suggesting locations, but none of these searches proved successful. They wondered if he'd left the colonies outright, and when that thought struck them, they began to feel less strained.

One hour later after the talks with the commanders, Trop made his way to the bottom of the Nexus, and started up his car. He drove through the city, eventually reaching the ramp that led to the outside road. He drove along there for a while, thinking of the last words he said to RedArrow at Bangclaw, the day of the assault. He continually thought about just how true it might be, and the small little poke to Druid to make it happen. Trop normally didn't fear anything, since he had seen almost everything in the Trouble in Tropical Town. However, even the Trouble didn't prepare him for anything the Colonies would hold for him. He knew that one day, perhaps after Syntox was either beaten or successful, that Druid would finally seize a chance to make himself a nice little kingdom in the Colonies. However, Trop thought of how loyal Druid was, so he decided to shake that thought, and think about something else. He searched for a topic to debate with himself on, and found very few. He gave a thought to Scout360Pyro, and what he was doing with California. Trop smiled to himself. If there was anyone that could try and slip something into the cracks of a wall (in this case, make sure a church was in California), it was Scout. Druid could qualify, but… Trop decided not to think about him. Druid might as well have been little more than a dick, but seeing as how he was willing to sacrifice thousands of his own men for 420, he had to cut the guy some slack… _wait_, Trop thought, _That's it! While Overwatch fights for us in the main war, we need to recruit men to fortify ourselves. We'd tell Druid it was to reinforce areas of the cities so Overwatch could have more men on their front… but it would help lessen the impact if Druid DID decide to revolt in the future_. Trop patted himself on the back, and went back to thinking about the Church. He pitied Scout, for he had lost his only family a long time ago to raiders, but since then had devoted his life to serving the 420 Republic in any way. Trop took a break from his thinking to check to see if his suit was buttoned up right, and noticed his shoe was untied. He pulled over, and ducked his head down to see better. He heard the windshield break above him as a bullet sailed through the car. He covered his head, and forgot to hold onto the steering wheel. He raised his head up to see that the car was moving. He had his foot down on the gas pedal in shock, and he also saw that he was going to collide straight into a tree. Trop tried to unclip his seatbelt, but couldn't do it fast enough. The car rammed into the tree head-on, and Trop lunged forward, hitting his head against the steering wheel. He felt nothing but pain in his head, and as he finally got unbuckled, he felt himself being forcefully pulled out of the car. He opened his eyes to see a militiaman holding him at gunpoint. The militiaman wasn't of Syntox's army, so Trop had trouble figuring out who he served. Trop saw from the corner of his blurred vision, 3 more people standing around him, and he tried to get up. The person holding him at gunpoint put his boot down, forcing Trop back on the ground. "This isn't him." One remarked. "It's as good as, we can still use… whoever he is, as a hostage." A woman's voice said. "I doubt it. Druid doesn't care for the lives of common civilians, as he showed during the Massacre at Townsend—""Wait, this isn't any ordinary man, it's Tropical Trail Mix!" One militia said in amazement. Everybody looked at Trop and instantly moved to help him up. "Quick, we need to take him back to our camp, and someone get that car off the road. Might look suspicious." The woman said. Trop still could not differentiate the people who were carrying him, but they certainly were after somebody else. That was the last thought before he blacked out again.

Trop awakened to the smell of burning wood, and coughed. He got up, and saw that he was in a bedroll near a campfire, with several armed civilians around the fire. "He is awake." One whispered, and another got up and went inside a tent behind Trop. "Go in, our leader will want to speak with you." One civilian said, and Trop nodded. He felt only a cramp in his leg, but otherwise felt remarkably little pain, especially since he'd been in a car crash only earlier. He raised the flap to the tent and saw a young man at a polished wood desk, with a globe, communicator, and pistol on the top of it. The man himself had very little dirt as compared to the rest of the civilians outside, and he had metal plates sewn on one sleeve of his gray hoodie, with leather scraps sewn onto the other. He had worn badges sewn or stapled onto the jacket, as well as a necklace with the Raptor Jesus symbol on it. "Greetings, Tropical. I understand that this is not the most clean or luxurious place befitting you right now, but I must please ask of you that you do not berate us for this squalor. It's the best we have since we were driven out of the city." The man said. "It would mean no difference, as long as your hospitality is still welcoming." Trop said. "My name, if you have not heard it before, is Aviation Duck. I lead the group known as the Last Hope. You may have heard of us fighting Syntoxian forces outside the city during the first assault on Bangclaw." "I have heard of you. Perhaps not as much from a neutral perspective as from the perspective of your blood enemy, Overwatch." Trop answered. Aviation stared for a few seconds, and said, "Well, now is your chance to know all there is to know about us." He pulled out a leather book, big enough to be a dictionary or world atlas, and set it on the desk. "It is unfinished, but we have logs dating back to the first time Overwatch made itself known in the city. I think some things might surprise you." Aviation said. "Surely I can't read it all here…" Trop said, and Aviation smiled. "There is a desk over there, in the corner of the tent. I use it for writing in that same book. You may use it to read. Also, I'll bring in your bedroll. You'll need somewhere better to sleep when it rains." He said. He got up from his chair, and exhaled slowly. "Take all the time you need. I will be outside, looking to the needs of the wounded." He said, and left Trop in the tent. Trop looked down at the book, and carried it over to the desk mentioned earlier. He sat down and lit up the lantern, and opened up to a random page.

**Chapter 14:** The first action, the Last Hope.

_June 23__rd__, 2013. The last light of day._

_We were all disheartened to hear that Druid, our enemy, is now in the good books of the 420 Republic. He had been given powers to help the people, and we are worried that those same powers will be used to harm us. We are still recovering from the Battle of Playground Point, where we lost many good men in a last stand against Overwatch invaders, as they assaulted the apartments, thus taking control of the gates in and out of the city. Our river entryway is now under threat, should the Yellow-clad menace consolidate their forces in that area. Thankfully, they've been pre-occupied with guarding against Kenpachi's forces to worry too much about us. Not as if we could do anything, which makes this predicament sad. Thanks to that battle, we had been forced to abandon the Desert Town to prevent from being stretched thin, and even then, we do not have enough men to mount any sort of offensive against Overwatch._

_I had read books regarding the old world, before the 420 Republic and Colonies came to be. There used to be a great empire, one that was prosperous, one that our leader, Trop, had even lived in. That ended when the nation fell apart, and Trop took what he could to build a new nation… that nation is now the 420 Republic. I tell the soldiers that Overwatch will be the same way, falling apart and withering away… but that story is so full of holes that I feel tears rushing to my eyes whenever I see them believe it. I want them to question me. I want them to challenge my claims… but they don't. They've all but lost hope now… and we're the Last Hope for a free Bangclaw. The irony is too true. I know that the ashes spawn a phoenix in time, potentially stronger than the parent. I know that Overwatch WAS that phoenix, rising from the ashes of DeLuca Family as that clan died. As with all phoenixes, they constantly are reborn into a different incarnation. So why do I keep lying to my followers? Yes, they have called themselves MY followers, and that is what makes me feel like the villain that Druid paints me to be. They are willing to fight and die for a cause, AND me. I want them to do what they feel is right and reasonable, not fling themselves at bullets just because someone told them to. I almost feel like Druid and I might as well be the same person. We both have followings, we both have goals and we even have personal motivations and beliefs behind it. He is on a quest of revenge, in its most basic form, but somewhere, he also wants to protect people from the same fate that had befallen his lost love, Anti-Druid. I understand his aims… safety by control. However, they have upset a great many of the populace, and I myself was evicted out of a house I paid for because it would've been used for quartering troops in. I hope Druid knows the injustice of his actions._

_However, I cannot deny the injustice of mine as well. My aim was to protect the autonomy of the clans, to fight against Overwatch in what I perceived to be a counter-terrorist operation. I had presumed it would be quick… I was exactly wrong. Druid not only swayed men to his cause with promises of protection and wealth (feudalism at its finest, I'll give him that), but he also reformed war in a big way. He used tactics such as Blitzkrieg, Grenadier, and even managed to sneak men inside of a well-armed base without alerting the defenders, who were away selling their hard-earned cache. This man is not only dangerous, but intellectual, and I hope that we have another like him sometime soon, only on our side. My aim was simple, and it became clouded by zeal, planning, and the other things which change a man in war from who he was to who he is. My personal motive? Stubbornness. It took me a while to figure out, but Druid was right. I had refused change. I had tried to defend the obsolete, to fight the new age in favor of tradition. I cannot deny that it has gotten us to this point now._

_He is considered Trusted by the Republic. His friend, Scout360Pyro, recommended him by my knowledge. I envy Druid for a friend like Scout, who somehow manages to cope with losing a family and having to watch over a psychopath, while keeping his cool for the most part and still finding the time to offer support. I wonder how he balances his life like that._

_October 18__th__, 2013._

_We lost the Subway. An Overwatch-backed group naming themselves the Kingdom of Poland has entrenched themselves there. They entrenched themselves good. However… they have half a dozen members. Only a half a dozen. An embarrassment, really. I… well, I was just told that the Kingdom of Poland is actually a splinter group of Overwatch. Wait, why would they be a splinter group? Is Overwatch really falling apart that fast? And if so, why is Overwatch backing it? I'm going to talk to my scouts._

Trop skipped ahead to another page, and began reading there.

_Can't remember the date._

_Today was… eventful. Syntox Turtles, an administrator, from what I've been told, has gone rogue and… captured the city. Yeah, three guys (RedArrow and Jason Bourne were with him) capturing a whole city. I doubt that's going to sit well with anyone around here. Who knows, maybe it was a joke? Yeah… it was a joke. It has to be. A very sick joke where they killed civilians… no, something's wrong here._

_Still can't remember the date._

_No. It's not a joke, this is the real deal. The army has moved in now, Syntox's army. Overwatch pulled out to evacuate other cities, leaving us to Syntox's mercy. Luckily, Syntox has shown… acceptance? It's not really clear to me or anyone else what his motives are, but if it's enough to make Overwatch run, then maybe—_

Trop heard a noise behind him, and saw that it was Aviation again. "I assume you've read enough to know why we formed up, why we are in the forest, and most importantly, who we are." He said. Trop nodded, but then said "Books only show a portion of the truth, even if it was written by the man telling it." Trop noted that he was taking a risk telling Aviation this, but Aviation just laughed and said "Smart man, you are. Indeed, what was in the book is only half of the truth." "Tell me about the Massacre at Townsend." Trop said instantly, and Aviation's smile fell. "Why? Why would you need to know about that? You lead this Republic, don't you? Surely you were given info?" "Not as much as I'd like. I was only told that there was a skirmish there, not a massacre. Much less knowing who was involved." Trop replied, and Aviation sat back down at his desk, where Trop returned to sit in front of him.

"Overwatch had spread from Bangclaw to other cities. Our organization was just in its youth, as was Druid's. They had invaded Townsend and taken control of the main square. By this time, our group was not yet in Townsend, but there was a group of Raptor Jesus priests there, making life hard for the garrison. I was with a squad of men, heading to that city to make an alliance with the priests, when we got word that there was now open warfare in the city. Overwatch had gotten reinforcements, and they were now expanding into Factory Street, where the priests were located. We arrived there just in time to see the priests charging at the Overwatch rifle-wall, and some soldiers panicked and fired off their weapons, despite their officer, Captain Price, telling them not to. The troops were so panicked that they shot down civilians along with priests, and then, we had to take action. We tried our best to shoot down that group, but the fire was too heavy, and thus we had to retreat. Had Druid said that this was an accident, and that he would've dealt with the regiment personally, I would've forgiven it, albeit slowly. However, he defended the actions of the regiment, and even gave them a medal. Such is his brutality and cowardice that he will stop at nothing to get what he wants. He may be on your side now, Trop, but soon enough he will turn on you when your back is turned." Trop thought about this and said "That's what my original intentions were. I'm aware that it is inevitable that Druid will revolt. I need allies if it will happen." Aviation laughed "No offense, Trop, but even with allies, you won't be able to hold off Overwatch troops for long." "Kush and Smiley managed to down 63 Overwatch troops with just 50 men. Warriors from Tropical Town. The predicament back then was harsher, as we were not able to recruit many more men what with Syntox marching around in the Colonies. Now, he's vanished, and we can replenish our forces. You will be a vital part, with your experience fighting Overwatch." Trop replied, and Aviation sighed. "We are ill-equipped, and ill-trained. The best we have are AK's from Tropical Town, and even those are of dropping quality, no offense to you, compared to M9K weapons that Overwatch has." "Well, that's why we can train you. I can arrange transports to bring you back to Tropical Town, to train, and Druid would be none the wiser that we are planning against him. His troops aren't shooting at you anymore. You two are not at war for the time being… it's the perfect time." Trop said. Aviation looked at him for a long while, and got up. "How long will it take?" he asked. "As long as the war against Syntox continues." was Trop's answer. Aviation held his hand out, and Trop shook it.

The next day, VTOL's from Overwatch were carrying Last Hope militias out of the forest and to Tropical Town. Druid had asked why, but Trop silenced him. "It is classified business" he had said. Meanwhile, Trop was treated for his wounds in the car crash and given a new car, and he drove to California the first minute he saw the car. He would've loved the new car smell… had it not smelled like aerosol.

Trop made it to California and was simply breathtaken. The buildings were much better designed, and this was just the first half of the city. He saw the big church on the corner, and decided to park his car on the side of the road next to it. He got out and opened the door to the church. The first thing he noticed was about 40 young men and women in white kimonos sparring with wooden rods. He hardly thought this was church-material at first, but then thought, _fuck it, it's Scout360Pyro. _He looked around and saw Scout personally sparring with a quick-footed teen, who managed to get a few taps from time to time on Scout with his sparring weapon, which was a wooden knife. After a few flips, they both found themselves with the wooden knives at each-other's necks. "Good work, Alastair. A very fine job. Where'd you learn to move like that?" Scout asked, smiling. "My father was part of Biotech, he taught me how to move quick and still be durable." The teen said in what Trop noted to be a British accent. "Ah, that explains how you tied with me. I must be getting slow in my age. Go along… show Elizabeth what you can do." Scout said, and the teen ran off, dodging the swinging rods as he made his way to a teenage girl who instantly began to spar. "I must say, it is quite surprising to see Tropical Trail Mix here today." Scout said, and Trop turned his head and smiled. "Just thought I'd stop by and see how your slice of heaven was doing." He answered. Scout led him to a case of stairs, where they reached a balcony overlooking the sparring matches. They sat at a table side-by-side, and watched. "You know… I never actually thought that many people would be here in the church." Scout said. "Clearly they are eager." Trop replied. "Yes… I collected the backstories of a few. Many of them are sad stories of how they lost their parents, or how they're homeless or how they not have nothing to lose. Now, there is some good stories in all this as well, some may have come from military families, where others came simply because their school couldn't teach them enough (we teach more than fighting here). When these people talk about their lives to one another, they build understanding, and then trust. No secrets are kept, and they get along fine." Scout said. "If only it was that way with our army." Trop said, and then laughed with Scout. "I came here with a request, but I should've known it was too early to ask." Trop said, and Scout cleared his throat and said "I'm sure I can deliver, what do you need?" Trop sighed, and looked down at the kids below. "I had counted on a few more years in this war to bolster ranks, Scout. Now I see that it'll end quickly. That is a good thing by itself, but Syntox is not who I fear at the moment." He said. Scout looked puzzled, and Trop continued, "I fear that Druid may revolt as soon as the war ends. He makes up about 80% of our fighting force against Syntox. If we win the war, there is a great chance that he will understand his potential and he WILL overthrow the Republic. I aim to either delay that, or prepare for it, because it is inevitable." Scout paused, and said "This is Druid we're talking about. He's loyal to you, sir, despite what you may think of him." "I know that, but even the strongest of minds can be steered to follow their own course. You've learned that with Syntox already." Trop said. Scout paused, and sighed. "I know of what you are about to ask. These ones aren't ready yet at all for the trials of war. They came here to be defenders of the faith, not to take part in politics and war." He said. Trop nodded, and said "Well, that is why I had hesitated to ask you. These ones are too young. Most of them look 17 or 18, with some being 15. I doubt that they would keep their cool in a warzone, so therefore, I thought differently about it." Trop said, and he got up from his chair. "Sir, wait." Scout said, and Trop stopped at the top of the staircase. "When do you think this war will be over?" Scout asked. "No idea." Trop said, and continued down the stairs into the California streets.

**Chapter 15:** Battle of Castlehill

A few weeks later, Druid, Scout, Pseudonymous, Trop, and all the other Superadmins and above were called back to Evocity. They gathered in Trop's room in the Nexus, and saw, on a big screen, the aerial view of a large army taking over Castlehill. They saw the Syntoxian flag raised, with the reporter saying "The forces of Syntox Turtles have just assassinated the leader of the city-state of Quantum. They're raising the flag right now, as you can see, and soldiers are rounding up refugees in the village… you can also see the church collapsing to the ground right now…" They all looked at the screen in shock, as they noticed that Syntox's army was now at least 5 times bigger than before. They saw the refugees being herded into a barn, and then the reporter said "Oh God, they just… they just set fire to the barn, with the refugees inside." Scout could watch no more, and he turned his head away and stormed to the window, looking over the city. Vik and Norsk covered their faces while Kush, Smiley, and Blight continued to stare at the screen in disbelief. Trop was actually crying, which did not strike Druid as odd at all, because under these circumstances, he wasn't sure whether he should or not. The live broadcast seemed to go on forever, with Airboat-planes making dive-bombs towards the crowd of Syntoxians, who fired up, tearing apart their wings. "Trop, RedArrow… we'll need to talk in private." Vik said, and Trop obliged, as he and RedArrow left with Vik, exiting the room.

They made their way down the elevator and into the complex depths of the garage levels. They eventually made it into the long-abandoned prison, where there was one last elevator, recently installed by Pseudonymous. They went even deeper, and finally reached a door reminiscent of the bank vault door in California. They opened it using their three Administration Gauntlets, and revealed a high-tech planning room, similar to the one at the top of the tower, but with less creature conforts. Trop took his place at the table, with RedArrow taking his. Vik merely stood in front of both of them, as he pressed a button on the side of the table, revealing a holographic map. He searched for a while for a location before clearing his throat. "Tropical, the situation seems to be even direr than at the start of the war. It seems that Syntox is now making a warpath with his new army, and is forcefully recruiting people, volunteer or not, into his ranks, thus explaining the size of his army." "Why in the hell did you not tell me this before?!" Trop shouted. "My apologies, but I had chose to keep your mood level up, and so I held back the info from you." Vik said. "Bullshit. You were supposed to tell me every damn bit of info we had so that the war could end quickly, do you not realize that?! Now you may just as well as doomed us all!" Trop yelled again, slamming his fist on the table, causing the hologram to flicker. "We still have a chance to severely weaken his force. He will be resting at Castlehill from what my spies have told me. While his army is at one spot, we need to launch an air assault on them. We have WAC aircraft, and I hear tell that Druid has already modified some WAC planes to carry bombs. It is only a matter of flying them over to Castlehill's skies before we can truly deal a crippling blow." Vik said, and RedArrow spoke up. "So, what planes will we be using?" There was no immediate answer, and satisfied with himself, Red leaned back and spun around in his chair.

"Aight, all of you lads in the Air Regiment, get ready to fly!" Druid said, at the Bangclaw desert. He had amassed the 1st Overwatch Air Regiment (which hilariously only had about 20 WAC biplanes) and outfitted them with impact-explosive bombs. The biplanes were modified further to have a machine-gunner in the back and driver in the front, as well as compartments for different ammunition types. "You will be, according to my info, flying a stealth mission. That means turn off your rotors when you reach this point _here_." Druid said, pointing at a map so all the soldiers in the tent with him could see. "You will glide over that area and drop your payloads there. Then, when you reach _this_ point…" (he pointed at another spot directly right of where the last marker was) "… you turn back on the rotors, and fly back to base. Not only does this make you quiet, but it also lets you conserve fuel for the return trip. Just make sure you aren't spotted. The skies are scheduled to be cloudy today, so we don't want you below those damn clouds, we want you in them. You're going to have to guess where you're at." Druid finished, and then asked, "Any questions?" one man raised his hand in the back. "Yes sir, are we the only ones giving those boys the payload?" he asked. "No. After you drop your bombs, 420 planes are to be right on your tail, dropping even more bombs, and they're not going quiet. They're going loud, which means you need to get the hell out of there so you're not caught up in it." Druid said. "This isn't too hard, gentlemen. Unless you cheated on your flying tests, this should be a piece of cake. Now, up to it, we've got a big bad wolf to piss off!" the soldiers cheered and hopped into each of their planes. The rotors seemed to all turn on at once, and the officer in charge of takeoffs gave the signal for them to rise. They guided their planes along the runway in the desert, blowing up sand at their sides as they did, until they finally rose into the air, bombs in tow. "Remember, boys… silent does it." Druid said over their communicators.

The planes were now above the clouds, and the soldiers, amazed at how quiet their biplanes seemed to be, decided to talk over their radios. "Hey, anybody got any plans for when after this war is done?" One pilot asked. "Yeah, head over to New California, and look for the nearest club. It should be a no-brainer as to what I'm after there." Another pilot answered over the radio. "To listen to some music and be sociable?" the first pilot asked, smiling. "Funny. I was thinking a different route of sociable, but hey, the ladies' moans of pleasure are music to my—""Alright, that's enough out of you two. You know how these belt buckles make having boners extremely uncomfortable." A third man said, and there was laughing all across the radio. "Oh, really? Didn't know… TITS, ASS, GIRLS, FUCK!" the second pilot shouted over the radio, and thus caused the third man, after a while, to swear and groan. The first pilot laughed so hard he almost sent his plane swerving into his wingman. "Hey, what the fuck?" the wingman said, irritated. "Sorry, mate. Won't happen again." The pilot said, recovering. There was silence for a few seconds, and then the second pilot said, "No… see, my girlfriend used to work at the old club there, before it was torched. She's lucky that she was on maternity leave, because that building got fucked UP." He said. "Maternity leave? You're in the Overwatch Military, practically on the frontlines, dumbass! Why have a kid now when you could wait a while before you know it's safe?" his machine gunner asked. "Because I actually have a family life, unlike you, dick." The pilot answered. "Hey, don't mind my pilot, he's just butthurt that he didn't get a chance to spend more time with her, or go on leave himself." The gunner responded. "Damn right. I want nothing more than this shit to stop hitting the fan so I can spend time with my family. I signed on for 2 to 3 months militia duty with pay. What do I get? A fucking lifetime in overseas service! This job blows, man." The pilot answered. "Hey, chill down, Parker. I was just joking around." The gunner said. Parker grumbled before another man said, "Parker's right. I can't believe I was lied to. It's not Druid that lies to us, but the recruiters he sends. Propaganda-filled bullshit is what flows out of their mouths. At least with those insurgency fighters you get an honest re-telling, with good and bad." "You mean the Last Hope? They're no better. Pay fucking sucks as of now… you're a freedom fighter. Notice the word "free" in there. That's right; you're only paid in food and maybe a place to stay, if that payment is even adequate. Did you hear that we had to ship them to Tropical Town for training just a few days ago?" "Yeah, I know. Bullshit, right? They are getting better treatment than the ones protecting all their asses." A few more minutes of silence until someone finally said "You can see from a large clearing in the clouds, California." One gunner named Deuce said. All the pilots carefully looked downward, and decided to go below the clouds to see. They saw a city under construction, but the water was clear and blue, the city was as peaceful as could be, and they even saw… "Ships, yes." Deuce said. "Can you believe we didn't do this before? We used aircraft to explore this land and colonize it way back when." "Then why the fuck are we building ships." Parker grumbled. "Less people can be put on a helicopter or VTOL than on a ship. Plus, I hear they're almost done making this big-ass super-battleship, unlike the boats and rafts you currently find in the oceans. It's really a sight to see when you get back down to Cali, because that thick iron plating can—" One of the other pilots began to mock-snore over the mic, and Deuce stopped talking, muttering under his breath. "Sorry, thought I was in History class. For Trop's sakes, can you not be boring and bookish for once, Deuce?" "Alright… we're approaching Castlehill right now, a few hundred miles north of Bangclaw. Syntox's forces should be there right now, so get up in the clouds until I say when to cut your engines." the lead pilot said. They waited for a few minutes before the lead man said "Alright, cut engines." Each pilot flipped the switches, and the rotors stopped on each of their planes. They silently glided in the clouds, when one message from Evocity appeared. "Attention, Overwatch pilots. We have just received word that Quantum is sending in a moderately-sized ground force to try and re-take Castlehill. I know that they will fail, but at the very least we're helping them. So wait for your signal to drop the bombs. Wouldn't want them to hit our buddies down there." The message said, then cut out. "Who the heck was that?" one man asked. "No idea. Let's just wait and… wait a minute. Wait, wait, no, NO! HOLY SHIT!" Parker screamed, and the pilots heard an explosion to their left. "Parker! Parker, report!" Deuce shouted. "Turn on engines, dive down, everybody, dive!" the lead pilot shouted, and they emerged from the clouds after powering on the rotors to see a swarm of fighter planes buzzing around them. "Ah, fuck! Syntox's! Everyone, get into evasive formations!" the lead man yelled, and the pilots tried their best to weave their way around the cluttered sky. A few pilots instantly were shot, their planes and their bombs crashing into the ground below, which according to some sightings by other pilots, was filled with ground troops fighting for inches of land. Quantum troops barely managed to hang onto the farm, as reinforcement regiments charged inwards, desperately trying to build sandbag barricades while taking and giving fire. They ended up using their fellow soldiers' bodies as part of the barricades, as they slowly began to consolidate their grip on the farm. The Overwatch planes dropped their bombs at the village and castle, knocking out a Syntoxian artillery gun and an emplacement in the village, allowing Quantum to seize it. "We've dropped our payloads, what next?" Deuce shouted, shooting his MG at a plane tailing them. "We can't escape, and our fuel is going to die out soon. We'll have to crash land somewhere!" the lead man said, and it was agreed that they would crash at least near the Quantum troops, if not elsewhere. Some managed to land on their wheels; others had no wheels to land on. Some were unlucky and their planes blew up. The remaining pilots and gunners used their position to fire at the enemy using their MG's. Soon, Quantum troops were sent to rescue them. "Come with us, we hold the barn!" one soldier shouted, and the aircraft crew ran as fast as they could, firing off their pistols at incoming planes. One managed to shoot a pilot aiming to ram the barn, causing the dead man to pull the plane up and flip over, crashing into his ally's plane. As debris fell around them, the crew finally holed up in the barn. "Some time to show up, we've heard about you." The Quantum soldier said, and Deuce nodded. "Any news on when the 420 planes will arrive? We're expecting them to actually help us!" "They should've been right on our tail!" one pilot shouted, as an explosion made the ground shake underneath them. Then, they heard the drone of a large set of rotors. The pilots rushed outside and saw massive 420 planes, each carrying about 50 bombs. They rained fire on the castle and grounds surrounding it, before flying off. Then, helicopters came, and landed near the barn. They waved for the pilots to come on board, and then took off, managing to avoid fire from enemy planes.

Quantum, meanwhile, was not doing so hot. They lost the village, and pulled all their forces to the barn. It was then that they saw that the whole army of Syntox was advancing on them, raining bullets their direction. They saw more explosions go off from bombs dropped by 420 planes, but by the time the dust settled, more than half of the enemy army was still alive. "Sir, what should we do? We're surrounded." One officer said to his superior. His superior grimaced, and said, "No surrender. We did our part today, and our allies did theirs. Let us die honorably." He then drew out his pistol, and his subordinates did the same. The Quantum soldiers returned fire with full sprays of bullets, hitting many of the enemy soldiers. When they ran out of ammo in their clips, they threw grenades, taking out even more troops. This slowed Syntox's forces for a while, and during that time, the captain gave a speech to his men. "When we charge them, I want you to think of home. I want you to think of your families that you are defending, and then think of your actions here today. Do not lose hope, or think that after today you will not matter in history, because you will! Think of those men over there. Imagine seeing the one you are about to kill as the only thing keeping that army intact. When you kill him, feel proud, because you have killed an influential man of theirs today. Now, men, fix bayonets, as we give them our last!" the captain shouted, and the men attached bayonets to their rifles. Then, with a great war cry, they charged into the mob of enemy troops, taking many bullets and killing many men before they themselves were overwhelmed. Not a single man panicked and ran, and at the end of the day, more soldiers of Syntox died than Quantum soldiers. Syntox himself was seen to be executing his officer in charge of defense, and he was said to have done so slowly, to enjoy the screams of the officer in pain.

When Trop heard the news of the raid, he only half-smiled. "I guess we won, at Quantum's expense." He had said to the messenger, and gave the last surviving pilots medals on their bravery.

**Chapter 16:** Battle of California bay

A declaration of war, issued by a group named the HeLLsGamers, was sent to Trop one week after the Assault on Castlehill. From the fine print, Trop could tell that they were only attacking because of the weakness of the colonies in their war. Had 420 been united and peaceful, the group wouldn't have attacked. Needless to say, they were now fighting on the Tropican mainlands, and had sent an invasion force to the colonies to seize California. The city was placed on high alert, with civilians being evacuated to the underground safe house. Druid was sent in with a large Overwatch force to defend the city, but not to engage the enemy. He met up with Scout, who had sent his priests to the safe house as well. "Scout, what's the status on those ships in our harbor?" he asked. "Battleship is complete, has yet to have a name. The smaller ships and boats, especially the motorized combat rafts, are ready to go as well." Scout reported. "Good, who's commandeering the vessels?" "Nobody on the battleship yet, but all the smaller ones have individual crews." Scout said. Druid turned to him. "Well, congratulations. You've got yourself a ship. Now don't blow it up." He said, as he ran off to organize the anti-aircraft batteries. Scout stood still, frozen, until he sighed and ran to board the ship. He at first noticed how large it was. It was at least as long as the city itself, and as wide as two Nexus buildings. He wondered how it even floated with iron plating. Upon reaching the battle room, Scout was saluted by Overwatch sailors. "We got word that you were coming. What's your plan of defense, sir?" The chief officer asked. Scout stood there for a few seconds silently before calmly saying, "Beat them back." He made his way to the table and saw the locations of where the invasion forces were going to enter from. Aircraft would cover the transport ships, as they would land on the California beach. "Main targets are those transports. Make sure none of those reach the shore. I don't care about planes, we have AA guns in the city for those. Main targets are those transports. Got that?" Scout asked the men. They all confirmed their mission, and Scout said, "Good. We have little time to lose, to your posts!"

Scout disembarked from port, sending orders to the rafts and other ships of the fleet to join him. He could see from the windows that the machine-gun rafts were at least much faster, with some steering ability. He commented to himself that they might as well be floating bunkers, because that's truly what they looked like. He sailed out into the sea, and looked at the radar. He caught a blip roughly a few hundred thousand feet away and looked up. Sure enough, he saw the enemy fleet approaching from over the horizon, and decided to halt his fleet. "Tell the rafts to form up a horizontal line 500 feet in front of us." Scout told the nearby comms officer, and he later saw the motor rafts take up positions roughly a hundred feet apart from one another. "Mortar Boats; form up a smaller horizontal line behind them, but in front of us." Scout said, and he saw the Mortar Boats form up perfectly in line with his orders. He saw the incoming enemy fleet form up positions as well, and told every ship to ready their guns. There was silence for a full, tense hour before the thunder of cannons was heard. A salvo of shells fell around Scout's ship, with one barely missing the side. Another salvo managed to hit two boats in the second line. Scout decided to return fire. The cannons on his ship were operated by 3 men each, one loading the explosive barrel for propellant, the lead ball (or barrel or whatever they had for ammunition) into the tube, one to position the cannon, and one to fire it off. When he ordered his men to fire, it took only a little delay before every cannon fired off in the direction of the enemy fleet. Their shots managed to sink one smaller ship, and blow a hole in another. However, most of them missed their marks. Scout noticed that both sides were having trouble with accuracy. He wanted to hit more of the enemy's ships, but in order to do that, he had to advance closer to the enemy, increasing the chance that they would hit them. "Drive the ships and rafts forward. We need to take a risk." Scout said, and the officer hesitated before giving the order. All the ships moved forwards, under fire from snipers and artillery. Scout saw that combat rafts from the HeLLsGamers were advancing, and he decided to advance his own. "Send those floating bunkers to make engagement with their incoming troops." Scout said. "Aye sir. Who will be the sub-captain of the rafts?" The officer asked. Scout paused. "A sub-captain? Why didn't you inform me of this issue before we set out from port?" he asked. The officer stuttered, and Scout facepalmed. "you know what… never—never mind. Who is eligible?" Scout asked. "Two people: Eman, and…" the officer paused. "Who is the final one?" Scout asked. "It's… hard to tell. This paper has the ink smeared right above the name. Very hard to distinguish it." "Choose that guy then. Eman is too young." Scout said. The officer nodded, and said, "Attention, rafts. You have a new sub-captain. His name is unrevealed to us, but my guess is, he knows who he is. Just win this thing so we can get back to our lives." The officer said, and then the left flank of rafts moved forward, with the right flank pausing, then advancing to where they were travelling behind the front row. Scout watched as the motor-rafts advanced, exchanging fire at the incoming enemy.

The unnamed man in the lead raft flew the 420 flag above his boat, raising a cheer from the other rafters following him. The bullets whizzed by the floating bunkers, sometimes hitting the sandbags, sending sand leaking into the ocean and their floor. "Hey, sir! How's about we have at those dogs?" A sailor wildly asked, and the man grinned and nodded. The sailor laughed maniacally and sprayed the closet enemy raft with the mounted M249, slaying the crew on board. "Sir, to simplify orders, can you write down your name?" another sailor on board asked. The man nodded, and wrote down "cock" on the piece of paper, with a picture of a dick next to it. The sailor looked and smiled, shaking his head. "Captain Cock. I want to say that suits you well, sir!" the sailor said, as he ran to the comms station. The rafts were now close enough for the sailors to exchange pistol and rifle fire, and Cock opened up a cabinet, where a katana and a pair of knifes were waiting. He equipped the katana and put both knives in leather sheaths on his jacket. He climbed up to the top of his raft, where men were in hand-to-hand combat, pushing each-other into the ocean and taking wild swipes while trying to balance on their rafts. Cock jumped from his raft to another, knocking off a HeLLsGamer into the water below. He looked down to see more HeLLsGamers rising from the bottom deck of the raft, and swung his katana around, decapitating one, when the other attempted to tackle Cock. They went too low, and instead made Cock trip with his sword, sending him falling on top of their back, with Cock's sword shoved in their anus, and through the roof of the raft. They screamed in pain, as Cock reached for his knife to end their life, and eventually he got the sailor to release his grip. Cock tried to bring his sword up from the metal plating it was lodged in, but he felt a pair of arms grab him around the neck. Another enemy had been below the whole time. Cock dared not let go of the sword's handle, lest he be falling into the ocean, so he used his free arm to grab the knife, and stabbed his attacker in the side 3 times. The sailor released him, as he fell into the cold water below. Cock gasped for breath, and decided to leave the sword in the raft. He jumped to another bunker-raft, but as soon as he landed, the roof collapsed in, causing him to fall on top of two sailors below. He readied himself for another fight, but then realized that they were friendly sailors. He motioned for the sailors to blow-torch the metal to the sides, creating a barricade, and they struggled to get up to do it. Eventually, they had a jury-rigged fortification, occasionally looking up to fire at enemy troops on other rafts. Cock noticed an MG that was detached from its place, and took aim at an incoming raft that was trying to ram them. He had unloaded half a clip into the raft when it suddenly exploded. He realized he must've hit the generator, and kissed the gun, although it burned his lips. He then tossed it aside and tried to drive the raft he was on. He maneuvered out of the mess of colliding rafts, eventually bringing him and the crew a safer distance away from the conflict. "Shall we fire, sir?" The sailors shouted, and Cock nodded frantically. The men began to unload more bullets, causing a few stragglers outside the conflict to explode as well. Eventually, Cock saw that the HeLLsGamers' fleet was fast approaching, and punched in the emergency code. "Sir? What are your orders?" The sailor from his original raft asked. Cock, being unable to speak, punched in Morse Code, and eventually the sailor said, "Yes sir, will tell Admiral Scout ASAP."

Scout was watching the conflict when the intercom sounded again. "Sir, Captain Cock has sent a signal to you, you're to reinforce the rafts if you can." The sailor said frantically. "Alright, I will do that. Do you need artillery support in any way?" Scout asked, dismissing the odd name of the sub-captain. "No sir, we are winning the fight here, thank Trop." The sailor responded. Scout ended the transmission and ordered the rest of the fleet forward. Cock, meanwhile, tried to organize a retreat for his rafts. They were too bundled together in the water to move, so he ordered (through his aide) that they commandeer the nearest raft that wasn't blocked in, enemy design or not. Eventually, a few rafts, though crowded, made it out of the mess, and Cock carried on with the retreat, the enemy fleet at his back. He saw Scout's ship, with the smaller ships racing ahead of him. Cock sent a code to one of the nearest frigates, asking if they could collect the rafters. They paused, allowing everyone on board the rafts to get on the ship. Cock ordered them to mount their MG's at the bow of the ship, as the frigate began moving again. Cock looked at Scout's ship, which, despite being made of cobbled steel, read "_OWS Unstoppable_" in fresh white paint. Cock shook his head at Overwatch's pride, and looked ahead yet again, seeing the enemy fleet mere miles from them. Scout waited until the fleets were one mile apart, and then shouted, "FIRE!" the cannons all discharged at once on his ship, followed by bombardments from the frigates. The enemy's ships were hammered with shells, and one ship was split in half, sinking into the sea. The others had sustained moderate damage, but were still firing back. Scout felt a tremendous explosion underneath him, and looked at the holographic diagram of the ship. He saw that a large hole was blown into the bow of the battleship, and was taking in water very quickly. "Send everybody you can to plug that hole!" Scout shouted. "But sir, we don't have anything to use!" His aide said. "USE THE TOP AIRCRAFT DOORS, WELD THEM TO THE FRONT! I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU USE AS LONG AS YOU KEEP HER AFLOAT!" Scout yelled. The men rushed to detach the sliding doors that covered the aircraft, and split them up into pieces so they could weld it. Eventually, through much slipping, swearing, and water slamming into them, they at least lessened the leak. Eventually, they welded scrap metal from other parts of the ship to finish, but the men were not sure if it could hold. Scout didn't care as long as the enemy was beaten. The cannons kept firing, until the flagship of HeLLsGamers erupted in a large plume of fire. A shell had hit one of her cannons, causing a massive explosion that then caused other explosions to ripple inside the ship. With their flagship sunk, the other enemy sailors either quickly surrendered or jumped into the water to escape from the Overwatch-420 fleet. Scout ordered the men to tow back the enemy ships to the Port of California, as rescue crews searched for any survivors in the waters.

When he had made it back to dry land, Scout was met by Druid, who congratulated him on his success. "How did you find the ship, Scout? Any faults or downsides? It was experimental, after all." Druid said. "Yeah… your supposedly "armored" hull wasn't able to stop a shell. I suggest you get on that." Scout said, pointing at the bow. Druid nodded, and then laughed. "I told Ninja it wouldn't work to armor just the top and sides. Anyways, good work today. You've saved us yet again, Scout." Druid then left to plan repairs, while Scout returned to his church. There, he was greeted by his disciples with open arms, as they set up a feast commemorating the victory. Through all this festivity, though, Scout did not feel happy at all. In fact, he felt annoyed that all of the fighting was going on so fast around him. He chatted and smiled, but deep down he was uneasy. When all the disciples were in bed after their last training session, Scout retired to his balcony. He looked at the bookshelves and picked out one that caught his eye. It was a book about a war, sure, but the one book sparked interest in Scout. He remembered Druid saying something a while back about a nation before 420… was it Druid? Maybe it was Trop or Vik. He couldn't really remember now. He opened the book once he had sat down, and began to read. The first thing he noticed was that his memory had nothing to do with the nation before 420, so why did this book remind him of it? He decided to read the first page, on the first chapter.

Chapter 1: 420 before the Colonies.

The small Kingdom of 420 was founded in Tropical Town, which was renamed following the breakdown of the Republic of Crowbaria. Tropical Trail Mix, the founder of 420, had come from Crowbaria, along with his mentor, Pkaboo, who laid the foundations for the Kingdom. When Pkaboo died a few weeks later of a mysterious disease, Tropical took full control of 420, and decided to strengthen the city further. Originally, Tropical town was a mere desert town, but under Tropical's rule, it became a metropolis. Towers, airports, and many other commercial buildings were erected, along with military installations for defense. Tropical expanded his influence across the island the town was on, absorbing tribal nations and cultures into the Kingdom. Eventually, interests between Tropican traders and native people clashed, and the first Civil War was fought between Natives and those who supported them, and the Tropican traders and army. Despite a few desertions, the Tropican army easily crushed the tribals and their allies, establishing total control of the island in the next few months.

However, the peace was not to last, as soon there was a war between 420 and their neighbors, the Republic of Lotus. Lotus had more land forces than 420 had, and when they invaded the 420 island, they found it quite easy to occupy 67th Way, the Airport, and the Port of Italy. It was only thanks to a very disadvantageous peace treaty with Lotus a month later that the 420 Kingdom survived. However, the treaty required 420 to give half of the national income to Lotus. This angered many workers in the Kingdom, who had been faced with heavier taxes as a result. Fishing taxes limited income for fishermen, for example, and many civilians had been forced out onto the street because of insufficient income. Plus, the owners of many companies within 420 had become corrupt, and started reducing workers' wages gradually, until there was only a few credits for a hard day's work. The kingdom was in a more tense state by the day, until finally, a riot in Terrorception led to three police officers and 6 protestors being killed, and many more wounded. This enraged the populace, and thus caused the Second Civil War, which still rages today, although for different reasons. (Scout took note that this book was quite old). The workers had revolted against their employers, taking and dividing the wealth for themselves. Tropical's lieutenant, RedArrow, ordered that the police enforce martial law, but there were riots and rebellions in too many areas of the city to police effectively, and soon RedArrow decided to relocate the police to Terrorception as a stronghold, whilst defending as many other areas as possible. A gathering of the rebels was planned as to what to do next with their movement, and information was leaked to Red about it. Red instantly called for a large group of military personnel to arrest everyone at the meeting, but the rebels were one step ahead. Once fears that the government would send troops were confirmed, the rebels stormed a military storage depot and armed themselves with weapons. Then, they ambushed the 420 military mid-travels. The rebels began their assault by—

Scout heard footsteps coming up the staircase and closed the book. He saw Pie Lord, who was in civilian apparel. "Hey, Scout." Pie Lord said, as he slumped into the opposite chair. Scout could see that Pie Lord was quite tired, but didn't need to ask. "Long day at a new job. Me and AbstraKT applied for a job at In-and-Out, that fast-food place. Damn, they make you work late." Pie sighed. "Well, as long as you provided good customer service, you should be feeling good." Scout said, smiling. "After all, I enjoyed the Double…" "You better believe we did good customer service. I bet if the customers asked if they could get blowjobs with their sandwiches, the manager would agree... not that any of them asked, but that's how it went." "How'd AbstraKT fare?" Scout asked, amused. "He kept making dick jokes to the lady at the drive-thru window. See, he was a cook, but then he got demoted to janitor. Now, this guy by the name of Conny is the new cook. Goddamn is that guy cynical. He doesn't fuck around, and when he does, he doesn't stop. I do not like my job, but at least I get free lunches." Pie Lord said. Scout laughed, and the two of them talked further into the night, until Pie Lord passed out. Scout carried him to a bed and decided to continue reading his book.

**Chapter 17:** Till death decide the end

There was news in the papers later that week that Norsk had passed away, supposedly by natural causes. Of course, there were conspiracy theories, but to many, they seemed very likely. Norsk was in fine physical condition, and the autopsy revealed that a chemical similar to Cyanide was inside of his lungs. Therefore, the talk of the day was of assassinations. Norsk was buried at 67th Way, with a large funeral. However, Druid was notably absent, as he usually was at the funerals of every major death. Nobody seemed to mind his absence, but a few Superadmins were muttering under their breaths all the same. Scout did not arrive either, for he was busy with recruits and training in California.

Around the following days of Norsk's death, Trop called a meeting with the Superadmins, in a bunker built in the new colony of Plethora, named by Pseudonymous. "We've got information that Syntox is back in the colonies. He's gotten his whole army formed up, and is now determined to overrun Bangclaw no matter the cost." Trop said. "We can expect him within the week." "We have no way to wipe out his force with manpower alone." RedArrow said, and Trop nodded. "In fact, yes, we do. Pseudonymous is here with us right now, and he is about to present our new weapon. Pseudo, if you please." He said, and Pseudo walked to a control panel. The bunker's windows opened up to reveal a vast clearing, with a lone tower in the very far distance. Pseudo pressed a button, and an object started to fall from the tower. The group waited for a second before a blinding light met their eyes. They instinctively covered them, but then Pseudo pressed another button which tinted the windows, enabling them to watch the whole thing. The ground shook underneath them, and a cloud of dust rapidly raced towards the bunker. When the dust cleared, the Superadmins all saw a mushroom cloud of flame, seemingly still and peaceful. They were all impressed, and Trop ordered that another be made.

Druid, meanwhile, was training a group of new recruits vigorously in the Bangclaw desert. "Men! The spawn of Hell will be on our doorstep within a week! In that week, I want you all in your prime! I want you to take a hundred lives and not take a bullet!" Druid screamed. Epikly was close by training another group of recruits, with a more calm attitude, but quite a cynical one. "You, you men. I shouldn't even call you men right now, you're boys. Hell, if the enemy came right now, you'd be girls. Girls, Do you hear that man over there? He will lead you to greatness and glory in the coming week. I expect that you will make him proud, as there is no other option. Failing to serve Druid effectively doesn't just mean your expulsion, but it means the death of you, your family, and everyone else in this city to Syntox's barbarians. You, each and every one of you, have the potential to wipe out a whole army. It's a matter of skill… skill you don't have. Lucky for you, I will teach you that skill."

The training went on through much of the day, first was hand-to-hand training, then firing range, then aircraft, and finally artillery training. All in one day. Druid even 60 of his best soldiers to be in the 1st Hand Mortar Team. The Hand Mortars that were referred to were single-shot grenade launchers, but Druid liked to be historic with his naming. Thus, the Hand Mortar team was created. Each man could now easily lob a grenade about 500 feet in front of them aiming at a 45 degree angle. In addition to their grenade launchers, the men carried one G36C rifle each, with Dual Elites on their belts. Scout once said to Druid that one man might as well be a walking assault team.

The next day, Scout reported that his priests were ready for combat. He stood at the pedestal, ready to give a speech to his graduate acolytes. He cleared his throat, and took a deep breath. "Ladies and Gentlemen of the Church of Raptor Jesus. It is my honor to be here today, as I have witnessed you all grow from people seeking the light, to brave young priests willing to defend it. I watched you best every obstacle there was, and for that, I am amazed. You will make our predecessors proud even now. There comes a time in every person's life when they debate… about what they should do in times of war." Scout said. "I am already serving in it. I have yet to see the worst of it. Our leader, Trop, has taken great strides to try and end it, and I am relieved to say that the war will definitely end on the same day of the coming assault… be it for better or worse. I have one final task for you all after I give you your official graduates' knives: defend your homes, your families, and friends with Raptor Jesus' blessing… or die honorably trying. Now, my students, I happily proclaim that you are now officially priests!" Scout said, and the graduates cheered, raising their crosses in celebration. Scout handed out a token to each one, with a pat on the back and a handshake.

Two days later, Druid got the report that tomorrow, Syntox would be at the gates of Bangclaw. He set his troops to train all day in every area they could, whilst the Superadmin Council, Trop, Scout and him planned the defense. "…don't have time for this!" Kush was heard saying, as Druid entered Trop's hotel room in Bangclaw. "What can we expect to DO, KUSH?! Lay waste to our own city?!" RedArrow shouted. "It's not ready yet! We can't fire it off in its state!" Pseudonymous pleaded, but Kush, frustrated, took no notice. "We have to pull out all the stops to make sure we wipe them out, in my opinion…" he began, but Vik cut him off. "And in doing so we accidentally let an unfinished, unstable nuclear weapon to blow up inside of city limits? Kush, that plan is done now. We can't do it. We need to live, don't you see!" he said. "Pardon my intrusion, but I have just recently arrived." Druid said, as he laid his coat on the rack. "In good timing too… Kush here was suggesting that we move the nuke to the center of the forest and hide it, so when Syntox's army comes, the detonation will wipe most of them out. However, that nuke has a large radius, and since we aren't able to launch it today (the firing mechanism is still under construction), we're scrapping that plan." Trop said. Kush sighed, and paced around the table. "We can still win without the nuke. We just need to hold out, like at the first assault." Druid said. Everyone went silent. Mr. Smiley cleared his throat. "This isn't a few hundred strong anymore, Druid. Syntox's army is on par with yours in terms of numbers. Yours is stretched out among the colonies… his is all grouped together. You must understand that." "True, but we held them off last time with fewer numbers." Druid said. Smiley shook his head. "No, no, no, Druid. You don't get the point. What I'm saying is, that was an early start for him. He hadn't trained his forces yet. Now, he has. He has a trained army, almost as skilled as yours. Plus, he has mercenaries from other nations, and who knows what skills they had. My point is, Druid, you can't hold out against him." "We can't run, either!" Druid said, and everybody went silent, as they looked to the ground. "We've ran away before… California was burned to the ground. We ran away again… Evocity was lost. Running takes us nowhere. We need to fight!" At that moment, Scout360Pyro walked into the room. "I've organized the priests... they're ready for combat tomorrow." He reported, and Trop nodded. "I believe this meeting is… concluded for now. I will inform you all of my decision tomorrow." He said. Nobody responded, as they all gathered their coats and walked out of the room. Druid went with them, and stopped to look at Scout. Scout looked confused, and Druid turned his head back down, as he walked down the stairs to his car.

Meanwhile, Syntox was marching his men vigorously. He knew that Bangclaw was the seat of power he needed to obtain. It would allow him to replenish his forces. He rode in a troop truck carrying his guards, and decided to rest his eyes for a while. They were now passing by Evocity, just out of range of the sentries there. Syntox knew that an assault of Evocity would cost more lives… lives he could not replace. _Not that any life can be replaced._ He thought. _I tried… I tried to prevent this. They didn't listen._ He thought about what would happen should he take control. He didn't have long to think, as the trucks stopped. "We're making camp, sir. The men are exhausted." His chief officer said. "Good… give them their rest." Syntox replied, without opening his eyes. Soon, the tents were set up, and Syntox sat at his desk, with two guards outside. He held his head in his hands, thinking about the destruction he had caused. He imagined what his enemies must be saying about him now, and he raised his head, inhaling a deep breath. He saw a soldier, standing patiently in front of his desk. "Sir, I am to report that we are now within sight of Bangclaw's towers." The soldier said. "Come, sit." Syntox said. The man paused, then sat in the chair in front of his. "What's your name, son?" Syntox asked. "J..Jack." The young man stuttered. "Jack… do you have a family?" Syntox asked. Jack swallowed and looked downwards. "Don't be afraid. I'm also afraid." Syntox said, smiling apologetically. "I… I had a family. In Evocity. When we invaded… I ran to their house. But, my captain… he'd already shot them." Jack said, tears falling from his eyes. Syntox swallowed sadness, and leaned over to put his hand on Jack's shoulder. "I know the feeling. To lose someone you love. All of us know." "I can't live without them, sir." Jack sobbed. "I don't know what I live for anymore." "I'll give you a purpose… it won't be everlasting, but there is one more thing you can do." Syntox said. The soldier raised his head, and Syntox laid a handgun on the table. "You say you can't live without them. There is one more thing you can do before you decide your own fate." He said. The soldier looked confused. "Kill your captain. Then, when the job is done… meet with your family if you definitely want to." Syntox said. The soldier nodded, and took the gun. A few minutes later, a gunshot was heard, arousing shouts from soldiers all across the camp. Then, another gunshot was heard. Syntox closed his eyes again, and lay down on his bed.

It was the day. Druid stood on the wall, watching the smoke rise from exhaust pipes on trucks, Syntox's trucks. They had recently been reinforced with Native allies from the Dam, and they were instructed to wait in the forest, ambushing the convoy. Smeagol was leading the natives, as she heard trucks nearing closer and closer to their traps. "Everybody get back!" She said in the native tongue, and the tribals ducked in cover, as the trucks triggered a series of trip mines. The first few trucks exploded, while the rest of the convoy came to a screeching halt. The tribals rapidly fired at the men pouring out of the trucks with their bows, causing many casualties. However, the troops began to fire back, and soon Smeagol needed to engage. "Druid, we're going in hand-to-hand… it was an honor to do my part." Smeagol said, as she brought out her katana along with the rest of the ambush team. Then, she led the charge against a firewall of soldiers. She felt several bullets rip through her chest before she brought her katana down, killing an officer before she collapsed. The rest of the natives were resolved to fight to the death, and soon every last one of them was killed, taking many Syntoxians with them. "Go, on foot!" Officers shouted, and Syntox himself was running with the mob. Druid had confirmation from his snipers that Syntox was going on foot, and he got on his communicator. "Defensive measure 2!" he shouted, and he saw small explosions down below, clearing a large area of land from trees, blocking the foot soldiers' paths and allowing Overwatch and 420 troops to see the advancing army. The army merely climbed over the trees, but Druid was ready for that. "Defensive main, do your part!" He shouted along the wall, and soldiers manned MG nests, unloading bullets into the incoming mob. Syntox saw the machine guns cutting down his troops, but decided not to pull back. "Saboteurs!" He yelled, and a squad of lightly armored troops with large backpacks appeared from the trees. They readied C4, but one by one they were shot down by snipers. One bullet hit the C4 itself, causing a chain reaction of explosions, taking out a squad of assault troops with them, and leaving a crater. Druid was proud of that explosion, but then saw that the mob was slowly and surely gaining ground while making a mountain of bodies at the same time. He fired up a green flare into the sky, and cannons thundered in the desert, carpet-bombing the area in front of the walls. However, the Syntoxians did not yield. "Kush! We need your troops, suicidal as they are!" Druid shouted down, and Kush, with his 100 armored warriors, laughed, as he ran towards the Gate which opened allowing his squad to wreak havoc on the enemies who tried to rush inside. "Artillery, cease fire!" Druid said, to make sure that friendly fire was not an incident of today. "Druid, we see incoming aircraft, deal with them." Trop said over the communicator, and Druid signaled, with a Red flare, for the Aircraft to lift off. Biplanes in the sky dive-bombed the Syntoxians, and some even dared to go lower, letting their rotors turn soldiers in the clearing into red mist. Syntox became very annoyed with the progress, and went back inside the forest. "Get me my personal assault team." He said to his officer, who radioed the camp to send reinforcements.

Kush, meanwhile, laughed maniacally as he struck Syntox's troops with his dual mallets. He and his troops were heavily armored, so bullets would have to be in big supply to kill them. Nothing their enemies did could kill them, although they were wounded. Kush had finished smashing in the skull of a weak foot soldier when he saw Syntox himself, and Syntox saw him. Kush grinned, and Syntox stepped forward with his sword. Kush raised his mallet, but Syntox merely brought his sword back and rammed it into Kush's gut. With a roar, Kush swung his mallet, which Syntox flipped backwards to avoid. The sword was still in Kush's gut, and as Syntox dodged left and right, Kush became weaker and weaker. Eventually, he fell to the ground, on his knees, and Syntox pulled the sword out. He brought the katana above his head and thrust it downward onto Kush's back. Druid saw Syntox execute his ally, and became enraged. "Scout… Kush is dead. Syntox killed him." He said. "Damnit. Is that the signal?" Scout asked. "Just kill that son of a bitch, WILL YOU?!" Druid shouted over the gunfire. Scout heard the call end, and turned to his priests inside of the Bangclaw mall. "Remember. What we do here will be in the name of our faith. We go now to defend our friends!" Scout said, and the priests followed him into the square. The gates opened again, and Scout rushed outside, tackling two Syntoxians and ramming knives into both. The priests swiftly killed all those who tried to kill them, and Scout now saw Syntox, tangling with two of Kush's warriors. Scout watched as Syntox concussed one, and headbutted another, slicing at their head with his sword. Scout walked in front of Syntox, who shook his head. "First Kush and now you, Scout, my old friend." Syntox said. "I consider you my friend no longer." Scout said, and he raced at Syntox, who swung his sword, narrowly missing Scout as he dived under Syntox's legs. Scout came up behind his opponent, knife in hand. "There's no reason for your aggression, Scout. What do you have against me?" Syntox asked. "Nothing… you just pissed me off." Scout said, as he charged again. He sliced this way and that at Syntox, who bent back to dodge the knife strikes at his head. He kicked Scout to the ground, and Scout rapidly shot back up. "Scout… look at this whole battle. It wasn't supposed to happen. Why is it happening? All I wanted, was for Bangclaw to break free!" Syntox said. "That is why the battle is happening." A voice behind Syntox said, and he turned around to see Trop, in battle armor. Trop held a Beretta to Syntox's head, standing 12 feet away. "You never were much of a thinker. That's why when you tried to convince people to revolt, they DID revolt… on you." Trop said. "And why? Why would they deny freedom?" Syntox said, breathing heavily. "They would deny it because under you, freedom comes at a cost. Under you, rank, accomplishment, and success means nothing unless it is for the state. These people… they want peace. Your way of obtaining peace is no better than Druid's, and now that Druid has been against you, that tells people that you are in the worse." Trop said. Syntox weakly smiled. "So… all this is because they don't want to be free. You really have brainwashed them, Trop." He said. Trop scoffed slightly. "You make no sense in words. Perhaps you'll make sense on your own tombstone." He said. "Well, let's not settle for such a fair fight." Syntox said sarcastically, and Trop nodded. He dropped his gun and raised his fists. Syntox also dropped his sword. The two raced at each other, and in the few seconds between collisions, Trop had flashing memories. Him and Syntox looking at the first building erected in the colonies, the wars fought with the natives at each-other's sides, the games they played as children, even the day the two met. It flashed through Syntox's mind as well, and when he landed the first punch on Trop, it hurt him emotionally. The two exchanged blows left and right. Trop landed two on Syntox's side, while Syntox landed a heavy one at Trop's chest. Soon, the two of them were now exchanging knife slashes, due to a dirty tactic by Trop. The two circled each-other. Trop thrust forward, and Syntox sidestepped, jamming his knife into Trop's arm. Trop grunted in pain, holding his bleeding arm, while Syntox stared. "It didn't have to be war, Trop. This didn't need to happen." Syntox said, and suddenly, his face snapped into an expression of shock. Someone had stabbed him from behind. Scout and Trop looked to see that it was none other than… "Johnny." Scout whispered.

Indeed. It was SaintJohnnyGat. He was wearing combat armor identical to Scout's black-and-white armor. Johnny looked clean for once, Scout noticed. Syntox was still in shock, and Johnny walked around to stand in front of him. "I…I killed you." Syntox said, and he collapsed to the ground. Johnny said nothing, as he turned around to face Trop and Scout. Scout walked to Johnny, and hugged him. Johnny stood there for a few seconds, frozen, then hugged Scout back. Trop, meanwhile, stood over Syntox's dead body, and spit on it. They fought their way back inside of the city to meet with Druid. "Syntox is dead." Scout said. "That's not important right now. Jason Bourne has assumed control. He's going all-out." Druid said grimly, as enemy helicopters approached. "Well, we just need to kill him then." Scout replied. "No. As we speak, they are pouring through the underground tunnels. Out troops couldn't hold them." Druid said. Scout's face fell, and Druid sighed. "We have one last hope. We can evacuate the city from the Desert. We have aircraft numerous enough to transport all of the civilians and soldiers out of here." He said. "We can activate the Gigafish. That's the name for Pseudonymous' bomb. Once we arm it, we need to evacuate. Or vice versa. We'll lose Bangclaw… but we'll win the war." Druid said. Everyone looked to Trop, who nodded sadly. "It's a price we must pay. I'm saddened to lose the jewel… but it keeps the treasure intact." Trop said. Druid nodded and ordered the evacuation over the intercom.

Jason Bourne thought he had won. The Overwatch troops retreated from the walls, the civilians were being evacuated, the sewers were theirs… he knew that Syntox was dead. More power to Jason, then. He stood over Syntox's body and unstrapped his Administrator's gauntlet. Jason would need that for unlocking whatever source of power Syntox was after in Bangclaw. He eagerly went down the ladder to the sewers with his personal guard. "Jason? Did Syntox send you? We've been awaiting him to unlock the door…" a Syntoxian soldier said. Jason stared at him and his 3 colleagues, and shot the soldier dead. His guards opened fire on the other Syntoxians, but not before one radioed the camp, letting the rest of the army know Jason was revolting. All across the army, the signal was sent that Jason had revolted, and soon, soldiers loyal to Jason were now warring with soldiers loyal to Syntox. From the city to the camp, a civil war was raging. Syntoxians were now manning the walls, firing at Jasonian troops approaching them. Druid watched this civil war happening and noted the comedic value of this: Syntox caused a civil war, Jason caused a civil war in their army. Druid made sure that the civilians were the first ones on the planes this time, while the soldiers took up defensive positions at the tunnels to the city. "Wheel the bomb out!" Druid shouted, and Scout caught his first sight of the Gigafish nuclear bomb. It was glowing blue with a nuclear symbol printed on the front. At the center of that symbol was a keypad. Druid typed the code for the bomb, which made the Gigafish shine as bright as a fluorescent lamp. "Send it to the center." Druid said. Scout looked and saw Epikly at the cart. "It was an honor to be with you, Scout, in the beginning." Epikly said, saluting. Scout smiled sadly, and nodded. He saw Epikly push the cart down the tunnel, and out of sight. "Alright, Soldiers on the VTOL's!" Druid said, once the massive civilian planes were in the air. The Overwatch soldiers broke formation and ran to the VTOL's, and they took off. There was one craft left: Pseudo's experimental aircraft. It was vast, and could carry perhaps 2 civilian planes in its cargo hold. Pseudo was seen urging the last of the Overwatch troops to get on board, and Scout got on with Druid, Trop and Johnny. "Druid, how much time until that bomb goes off?" Pseudo asked, punching in coordinates. "About a minute." Druid said. "And who's taking the bomb to the center?" Pseudo asked. "Leo." Druid answered. Pseudo paused. "I'm proud of him. I always sorta liked that kid." He said, and the vehicle lifted into the air. "Alright, hold onto your asses!" Pseudo shouted, as the gigantic craft made liftoff. Scout could see the city from where they were flying. "Where are we going?" Druid asked. "Tropical Town." Pseudonymous said.

Jason used the Gauntlet on the door, and it opened up to reveal a glowing cage with a terminal. Jason's smile dropped. "That's it? It's… it's just the Re-Animator prototype…" he said. He stared, and threw the gauntlet on the ground. His soldiers didn't know what to think. For a few minutes, Jason stood still, then, he turned around and stormed off. His guards followed him all the way to the top of the city. There, they saw a bright, glowing object that made them shield their eyes. They saw a lone Overwatch soldier next to it, who pulled out his pistol to shoot them. They easily cut him down, and Jason knelt next to him. "What is this thing?" He asked furiously. Leo coughed up blood and grinned. "Your gateway… to hell." He gasped, and Jason looked at the symbol on the object. He knew right from the start that it was a bomb. He closed his eyes…

Scout could see the city, still and seemingly peaceful, until it suddenly caved in on itself. A second after that, a blinding flash, followed by the sound of an explosion, was experienced, and it shook the aircraft. "So many years spent in that city." Scout heard Druid say. "So many years led up to this." "It's almost like a weight off your shoulders, isn't it?" Scout said, amazed at what mere humans could accomplish. "Heh… yeah. Actually, it is." Druid said. They watched the damage as debris was flown everywhere from the mushroom cloud. Years of building and history took place there. Losing it made all of them feel like a part of them was taken away. They knew, however, that after a long while, they finally won the war.

**Chapter 18:** Heroes of 420

A week later, all of them were back in the colonies, at a large clearing in the forest. A podium was set up with a microphone and speakers, and Tropical Trail Mix stood at it. "Citizens of the 420 Republic and of the Colonies. It is my great honor that I announce the war is over, with the enemy beaten. We will never forget the courage shown by our troops at the battles, nor the ultimate sacrifices they had to make. We did not win this war because of strength in numbers, nor skill in troops. We won by using our heads, and by using our heads, citizens, do we truly prevail over any obstacle that comes between us. I will now turn over the pedestal to Druid, who will make several announcements." Trop said, and there was cheering from the general audience. Druid took his place and cleared his throat. "Let me start off by thanking Trop for allowing me to serve in his name. It is truly an honor to fight for somebody when they are unable. Now, the 420 Republic has an official army, ready to defend honor wherever it needs defending. This war has shown us that united is the only way we can live." Druid paused. "One of my closest friends, Kenpachi, died in battle during the siege. He has had my back, and I have had his since before I even came to the city. Friendship can seem troublesome at first, but then you learn that you can always use the help of an ally. I also lost a friend that did more for me than I could ever repay. His name was Leo, and he was my most trusted officer. I know that human life cannot be replaced. It never can. But life must go on. We can rebuild, we can heal. As of now, I promote this man, Fingerknitter, to be a Viceroy of a city that will be forever eternal. Pseudonymous, if you will." Druid said, and Pseudonymous unveiled a billboard sign that read "Welcome to New Bangclaw" in fresh white paint. The audience cheered again, as they saw construction workers lay the foundations for a new city, a bigger city, one they could call home. Druid gave Fingerknitter the badge of office: a golden potato. Fingerknitter looked confused, and Druid said, "This potato symbolizes the reward for the hell you're going through. No, it doesn't tell you about your job. It's a saying about life." Fingerknitter opened his mouth, but Druid had already left to help with construction. Scout walked up to Fingerknitter. "A golden potato. Heh. Tell me, Finger, did Druid ever tell you of our expedition into an abandoned Aperture lab a few years back?" Scout asked. Fingerknitter shook his head, and Scout chuckled. "Well, it is a long story." He said.

Pseudonymous was laying out foundations, and talking to Trop about the locations of buildings within New Bangclaw. "I believe that the same basic layout will do, but with some locations changed. For instance, we could have a hidden shelter underneath here…" Pseudo said, and Trop nodded. He wasn't entirely listening, because he was deep in thought about the events that would transpire soon afterward. He looked towards Druid, who was with his officers around a planning table, most likely planning a location for a new Government Center. Trop took a deep breath and prayed that what he was about to do would at least delay Druid. He walked to the table, and one of the officers whispered in Druid's ear. Druid raised his head to see Trop, and he smiled. "You're all dismissed." He said, as he rose to straighten his back. "I see you're planning a site for your new dictatorship." Trop said, a hint of sarcasm in his tone. "Nah, just a garrison quarters. Since the foundations aren't completely set in stone, I figured that we might as well carve out a district of our own. You know, like Scout did with New California." Druid said. "Well, Scout doesn't run a multi-million dollar military organization, either." Trop replied. There was a moment of silence when Trop spoke again. "I need you to come to Evocity with me upon completion of New Bangclaw. It's going to be a meeting with the council of Superadmins. Scout and a few others will come too." He said, and Druid paused before nodding in agreement. "Very well. I'll come as soon as the last brick is placed." He said, and Trop smiled. "Good… oh, and bring a few of your officers too." He said, as he walked off to talk with Pseudo again.

Several months later, the city's foundations were complete, and construction on the buildings was about to take place. Trop called the meeting early, and Druid, 3 of his officers included, travelled to Evocity along with Scout, Pseudo, and Johnny. RedArrow, Vik, Smiley, Trop, and a few new superadmins, simply nicknamed "Cabbage" and "FTW" were already present at the Evocity nexus, and all of them had sat down at a table in Trop's room. One new face was a young superadmin named Svensk, who was a superadmin even before RedArrow, according to some. "Welcome, honored members and heroes of this nation, welcome! I have invited you all here, because there is an issue that needs dealing with." Trop said, as all of them were finishing a tasty dinner. "The issue, of course, lies in New Bangclaw. Druid, if I cause any discomfort among you or your officers here, it is only because I wish to address this issue directly." "I hardly think that there is an obvious problem, especially concerning our organization directly, but in this case I will stand by." Druid said. "Good, then negotiations can begin." Trop replied. "Vik, I'll let you lead the negotiations forward from here."

Vik rose from the table and cleared his throat. "New Bangclaw is about 4 times the size of the original city. In Old Bangclaw, Overwatch owned the whole city. We realize that you want a section of the city to yourself, Druid, now that the old city is obliterated, so we decided to hold this meeting to decide how the city will be divided up." He said, and sat back down. RedArrow stood up and cleared his throat, too. "To help improve public order and economics issues foreseen, we will split the city into 5 districts. Each will be semi-independent with separate governors chosen from the lower administrators and/or people's electorates. Those governors will be responsible for their own district, and will gain a lump sum of cash at the beginning of each month to maintain it. The money will be divided equally, so that no district has more than the other in income. Whether or not they choose to spend it is up to them. We will have city-wide laws in effect that everyone has to follow, but each district's governor can place their own laws so long as they do not conflict with the city-wide law. Druid, you are automatically governor of the Western District, which you can use for whatever purpose you deem necessary. Thus, you are in charge of 20% of the city." RedArrow said, and Druid looked down at the table in thought. He raised his eyes and stood up to speak. "I doubt that that will be enough room for the main operations. Western District, according to the map, places a large amount of the Residential Centre, the Government Centre, and the Fallout Bunker under my jurisdiction. I believe that it would only be a benefit to everyone if I also had the Apartments south of the Government Centre." Druid said. The Superadmins all looked at one another while muttering, and Vik spoke. "That would bring your claim to 30%... we proposed 20. There wouldn't be enough for all 5 districts to share evenly." He said. Druid chuckled under his breath. "No… no there wouldn't. That is why you simply make do." He said. Trop now knew that this meeting wouldn't delay Druid's war at all. It would hasten it if he didn't get what he wanted. "'Make do'? No, Druid. And again, no. You will be governor of the area provided, and nothing else." Vik said firmly. Druid looked at Vik for 5 full seconds, and Trop could almost see the gears turning in his head. He observed Vik as if he was scoping out the best weak point he could. Then, he rose from his seat. "Accepted." Druid said, not taking his gaze off Vik, who frowned slightly. "I will move at once to direct building operations and fortifications." He said. "There is no need for fortifications." Smiley said from the other end of the table. "Of course there are. The districts are semi-independent, are they not?" Druid answered, and with that, he walked out of the room with his officers, leaving a dark feeling in everyone else's guts. "What is that supposed to mean?" Svensk asked. "It means that he believes the districts will wage war on their own." Trop replied. "That's nonsense. 420 is united… why would the districts war with one another?" Smiley asked. "It's been a part of the colonies since day 1. The gangs and such… Druid is stating a practical joke that the semi-independence will not result in unity. I fear he may be right. Regardless, we can no longer ignore what is obvious." Trop said. He had expected everyone else to question what he meant, but was mildly surprised when they nodded in agreement. Scout shook his head and got up from his chair. "Where are you going? The meeting is still not over." FTW said, looking up. Scout paused, and turned around slowly, walking back towards the table. "I refuse to believe that the man I saw lose his girlfriend to a pack of vicious tribals would become vicious himself. I refuse to believe that he would betray any one of us. I refuse to believe that my friend will no longer laugh, eat, and fight alongside us in years to come. We won that war because of him… he wouldn't betray us." Scout said, and he walked out of the room. Trop exhaled a deep breath. Then, he had an idea. "Vik, you're in charge of deciding the leaders of the districts. I'm going to Tropical Town." He said. The other Superadmins packed up and left the room with him.

When the city was finally complete a few months later, Overwatch was settled into their section of the city. A passcard system was brought to the populace as a means of citizenship in the different districts. Overwatch's district required a yellow passcard, the District of Los Santos, led by an elected leader named OutlawBOBClark, had orange passcards. 420 District was reserved for the higher-class, who had special green passcards that allowed for them to go into any other district. The other two districts, led by Scout360Pyro and Pseudonymous, both had white passcards. Scout and Pseudo had agreed in an outside negotiation to form a loose union between the two districts. This was unknown to the other Superadmins, but known to Trop, for he had originally suggested that they do this in case of Overwatch aggression. Almost one week after the districts were formed and all the systems had been set, the Los Santos district reported that a terrorist group named ICESS was operating in the underground sewers as well as above ground. Several C4 attacks took place, taking many civilian lives. However, 420 could not send financial aid due to the rules they placed towards income. Therefore, the Los Santos district was virtually powerless against the terrorists, as Overwatch would not send support, and they would not let Scout and Pseudo's forces cross into their territory to get to the district. Eventually Outlaw was forced into exile by the terrorists, who captured his government centre. Then, suddenly, Overwatch invaded the Los Santos district, killing off all the terrorists in the district, and annexed it, incorporating Los Santos into Overwatch's sphere of influence. This caused backlash from 420, and eventually Vik demanded that Overwatch relinquish control of the district and its soldiers back to Outlaw. After much bickering, Druid unwillingly ordered his forces to pull back, letting Outlaw re-assert his district's laws.

Scout and Johnny went to visit with Druid some weeks later. Druid was outside, training a sniper team when Scout caught up to him. "Hey." Scout said. "Hey." Was Druid's reply. They watched the team fire 3 volleys before Druid nodded. "That will do for now. You are dismissed back to the barracks." After watching them march off, Druid turned to face Scout. "So, you are here… why?" he asked, without a smile. "We figured we'd take you along for a meal at In-and-Out, in New California." Scout said. "Scout, you know that by the time we get there, it will be night. Driving back will be difficult." Druid said. "Yes, well, would you mind if we stayed at the Church until morning?" Scout asked. Druid thought it over, and said "Yes, I will go. But first…" he opened a tab on his communicator. "Fingerknitter, you're in charge of the district while I am gone. Supervise the men where you see fit." Druid said, and closed the tab. The three of them walked to Scout's district, where they got inside of a white El Camino. "Hot damn, I thought these were recalled some days back." Druid said, impressed. "They recalled the model to fix the brakes. I fixed them myself in less time." Scout said, smiling, as he drove out of the city.

"So, there must be an explanation, a hidden motive for driving us here?" Druid said. They were now at the restaurant, where they all ate out of a large basket of French fries. Scout wanted to deny, but he saw the smile on Druid and sighed. "Yes… the higher-ups are growing suspicious." Scout said. "You've been on the warpath lately, man. Ever since that debate over territory back in Evocity you've been alarming them. By even training new regiments you're slowly causing them to distrust you." "And why would that be? I'm only working for the good of 420. I liberated that district of terrorists when they ousted Outlaw. By annexing it, I got the result of my offer. Why they didn't just let me have it is beyond me. Overwatch district will eventually be crowded as more and more buildings are made and more and more soldiers and their families move in." Druid replied, biting on a French fry. Scout sighed again. "That's just it, you don't need to train anymore. We're a nation at peace. You're a war hero… this is peace time. Try and find something else to do, a family to raise, somethi—" At this moment Druid stood up. "I think our conversation here is done, Scout. I will stay at the garrison here." He said quickly, with a slight tone of irritation. He quickly walked out of the restaurant, leaving Scout and Johnny to clean up.

**Chapter 19:** The Spark

Druid lay in his bed at the garrison. _How dare Scout… _he thought. _I told him never to bring it up again. Damnit. _He tried to get to sleep that night, but could not find a comfortable position. He finally dozed off one full hour later.

The gates to Bangclaw opened up for Druid and his girlfriend, Anti-Druid. The only feeling in Druid's body was one of relief, as the city was sure to provide some safe haven for a future family. He walked with Anti into the city, with the gates closing behind them. "Welcome to Bangclaw! IF you wish to purchase a home here, talk with our mayor, Tangodown! If not, then enjoy your stay!" an intercom behind them said. Druid knew that this was an automated message. If anything, this city was more technologically advanced than Fort Kestrel. He asked around for directions to the Mayor's office, and the townsfolk pointed to the largest building in the city: The Hotel. However, they called it the "Large Apartment Building", even though Druid knew it must be a hotel. They walked to the building and ascended the stairs until they reached the Mayor's room. They waited for several seconds before the door opened. "Ah, you are newcomers! Please, come on in." A young man said, and he allowed them to step foot inside. "I am Steptank. I'm working as Tangodown's aide to get myself some credits in the University of Bangclaw… ah, but you are new, so I won't bore you with all the details." Steptank said. "He'll be out shortly. He's currently dealing with the usual problems of his job. You know the mayor, heheh." Druid and Anti smiled and Steptank smiled back. "I'll be at my desk should you need anything in the meantime." He said, and went into the next room. Druid looked around. "Wow… to think they call this an apartment." He said. "I know, right? This is a mansion compared to where we came from." Anti said. Druid nodded, and they continued to observe the room. There were paintings and posters hung up on all the walls, and Druid noticed a group of newspaper articles attached to the wall in a cluster. He could see the headline on one of the newest papers: _"Church of Raptor Jesus ransacked! No apparent survivors!"_ Druid's face fell and he realized that this still wasn't a perfect city. He knew that nowhere was perfect, but to ransack a church seemed to be the epitome of evil. He looked at a much older headline: "_RedArrow appointed Aide to Tropical Trail Mix following landslide election!" _"Having fun?" a voice said from far behind him. Druid turned around and saw a man with a blackish-brown beard and medium-length hair. Despite that, he looked quite dashing in a suit. "Oh, ah, yes sir." Druid said, trying his best to act according to etiquette. "Sir? This is a Republic, I'm not above you. In fact, I was appointed to be your public servant." The man said. "Ah, where are my manners? My name is Tangodown, Mayor of Bangclaw."

Later, Anti, Druid, and Tango all sat at Tango's desk in his room. "So, according to your papers, you're from… Fort Kestrel, huh? I remember getting a notice about the unrest there, but since then I've heard nothing." Tango said. "There's a rebellion going on there," Druid said. "costing many lives. If we thought the police force before was brutal, they are now attacking anyone who so much as walks too close to them. Total chaos." Druid said. "Not chaos. Chaos has no order. There is a police force there, so that means there is some degree of order, if overwhelming. But true, this is a sad state of affairs. I am truly sorry for any friends you have lost there." Tango said. "We didn't lose any friends… just acquaintances. We never dared to get too close to one person, lest they be gone the next day. Under those circumstances it was a wonder how me and Anti got close." Druid explained. Tango sighed. "Well, if you want a home here to live in, then you can buy one. They all sell for the same price, but you may find that one would be better suited for your needs than another. There's no exact designation of housing here, you see. One man's view of a warehouse is another's view of a home, vice versa. So, if living in a jail cell re-furnished as a house isn't your thing," (Tangodown chuckled, and so did the other two) "then you have the choice of different areas. Oh, and it gets better. If none suit your needs you may build your own. Current conditions in the city may result in a cramped space, but there's a large desert beyond the city that can always be built on and repurposed into a nice place. Oh, one more thing… here's the house list in case you need to see for yourself. Full catalog." Tango finished. Druid offered to hand it to Anti. "Your choice." She said, smiling. Druid silently shrugged and opened up the catalog. "So, Anti." Tango started. Anti looked up. "In case you are… well… expecting—" "Not yet, no." Anti said. "But someday we will when we get things settled out." "Ah, well, in that day then, we have a free health care system in place. Totally beats every other nation's policies. I almost had to take executive action to push that in, but anyways, when you are down in the hospital then, it's a totally free deal, so no worries about hospital bills or anything." Tango said. "Thank you, but I want to know how the hospital would get its funding then for upkeep?" Anti asked. "Funding comes mainly from the accounts of philanthropists, as well as a slice of profit from the trade routes between cities. Bangclaw is currently the center of that route, so if you do go to the marketplaces, you'll find all sorts of goods. However, the marketplaces are run by the traders themselves, so they often set up all at once and then pack up to leave once they have stayed for long enough. It ensures that there are constantly new things in the stores." Tango explained. "Well, I found one." Druid finally said. He pointed to a small house in the Neighborhood. Tango's smile fell. "Oh, you don't want that one, do you?" he asked, concerned. Druid frowned in confusion. "Yes… why?" he asked. Tango scratched his face. "Well… right there is where the most gang activity is. Now, they're not centered in the Neighborhood itself… they're holed up in the old Government Center across from it. I strongly advise that you try and steer clear. Now, they normally don't affect other areas unless they feel the strongest urge to… "Tango then sighed. "Look… it's your choice. But I'm strongly advising you, pick somewhere else." He said. Druid and Anti looked at each-other. "We can reason with them. Plus, once we get all the paperwork settled we'll move straight out and somewhere else." Druid said. Tango sighed. "Alright… here's your deed. Now, the cost…"

Druid snapped awake to the sound of gunfire. He raced to the closet to don his armor, and then grabbed his M16. He jogged out of the Government Centre to see one dead civilian and one injured Overwatch soldier. Druid walked to the scene to see Scout, holding a knife that had blood on it. Druid looked to each of the bodies and noticed a knife wound on the civilian's body. "Scout, what happened here?" Druid asked. "This man had attacked your troop. It was during an argument between the two. I didn't hear what it was about… you may want to ask your man there." Scout said, cleaning off his knife with a rag. Druid knelt down to the injured soldier. "You mind telling me what exactly happened here, soldier?" Druid asked. The soldier was breathing fast and sweating, as blood flowed out of a gunshot wound to his shoulder. "The guy demanded that he go inside to see you, but I told him you were asleep and not to be disturbed. Then, he demands again. I tell him no again, and he just pulls out the gun and…" "That's enough. Thank you. Take him to medical." Druid said, and two other footsoldiers carried the soldier away. "To see me, huh? Well I'll never know the reason why, now." Druid said. "I'll report this to Vik, he'll know where to go from here." Scout said. "Scout." Druid said. Scout paused in his walk away. "I want to apologize for yesterday. It was a touchy subject with me." Druid said. Scout turned his head and nodded. "I know." He replied, and continued his walk. Druid, in the meantime, went back to sleep.

Scout, meanwhile, had made his way to the 420 district to speak with Vik. He approached Vik's desk, where the man was busy signing papers. Scout cleared his throat to try and get his attention. "Yes?" Vik asked, not taking his eyes off the papers. "I want to report a civilian death." Scout said. "Confirm it on the log, you know how administration runs." Vik said. "It's not that simple… the civilian was in Overwatch District, guilty of assaulting a soldier there as he was trying to get into the Government Centre." Scout replied. Vik paused and raised his head. "Scout, come with me." He said, as he got up from his chair. "We're taking a walk." They exited the building and walked along the sidewalk, crossing into Los Santos District. They went through the tunnel to the industrial area, which was unclaimed by any district. The industrial buildings here had only exported evenly to other districts, similar to 420 District. "Scout… I want you to answer something for me." Vik said as they walked to the tower. "Whatever it may be." Scout replied, sensing something wrong. "Remember the day you walked out of the meeting after Druid?" "Yes." "Well, let me ask you this: do you still stand by what you believe when I hand you this?" Vik said, and he gave Scout a paper. Scout glanced at it and saw the Overwatch seal at the bottom. "An official order from Druid? What does this matter?" he asked. "How about you read it first." Vik said, pausing in their walk. Scout began to read the order.

"_Global Order 113, Issued by our leader, Druid._

_As you all know, our home in New Bangclaw has been increasingly crowded. As such, I have made plans with my chief officers to invade the Los Santos District to make "breathing room" for our territory. This invasion will be under the political guise of liberating terrorists which have recently inhabited that district. However, I have already made preparations to annex the territory for us once we assault the district. Remember, no civilian casualties. We come as heroes, not as conquerors. I want to show Trop the error of his ways by making the districts semi-independent. It's a shame that he—_

Scout stopped reading the letter, and let it fall from his hands. It seemed to take a full minute to glide to the ground. He couldn't believe what he had just read. "I will be delivering the notice to Trop soon. We're finally going to put this fanatic away from our society." Vik said. Scout did not respond. "Look, Scout. I know you and him were close. I also know that you refuse to think of your friend any differently… but it's too late now. He's become exactly what Trop said he would be." Vik reasoned. "Vik." Scout said in a flat tone. Vik paused and then resumed listening. "I don't know what you're planning, yourself." He said, "Druid uses Calibri, not Times New Roman, for his orders." And walked off. Vik's eyebrows raised, and he activated his communicator. "Red. I'm on my way to Trop." He said. "Good. I just hope that you drive safe." RedArrow responded. Red was currently in the Apartments, with the rest of the Council. "We have not yet ruled out the final option should this go awry." He said, and he cut the chat. He walked back to the table, where the others were watching. He took his seat and sighed. There was silence in the room, and then Svensk spoke. "Trop still doesn't know, right?" he asked. "No. Trop doesn't know. However, that doesn't mean that he can't. Vik is to deliver the notice right away… the only thing that could topple this is an unfortunate incident with Vik... we can't do anything else without raising suspicion." Red said, and they waited more.

**Chapter 20: ** The Last Overwatch-420 War

Druid had just received the news from Scout that Vik had forged an order. He stood silent for a few seconds, and turned around. "Would everyone except Scout and Fingerknitter leave the room please." He said quietly. All the officers except the aforementioned left through the door. It closed, and Druid turned back around. "Scout. I thank you for this knowledge. Fingerknitter… we have work to do." He said. "I will tell you later. But leave the room for me and Scout for now." Fingerknitter slightly bowed and walked out. Druid went to his window and looked out towards the apartments. "They've finally decided, haven't they." He said softly. Scout said nothing. He was trembling for the first time in… a long time. He knew that this was possibly the moment of decision for not only Druid, but possibly for the whole city. "Scout… I didn't mean for any of this to happen to the colonies. Not for Trop, not for Vik. You were there for it when I had started what is now known as… Overwatch." Druid said, his voice in a slight stutter. "I didn't want to be involved in politics, in war, in power… all I wanted was to avenge her." He said, lowering his head. "Now that I look back on it, it was a hell of a way to avenge." Scout stepped forward. "It made you feel better, ultimately. You now could work to prevent it happening to other families. What greater opportunity could you have?" Scout asked. "I could've simply moved to a different house when I came here… followed the old mayor's advice. However, for some reason I chose that house in the neighborhood of Old Bangclaw to raise a family. I blamed myself for her death. All that could've been avoided had I have chosen better." He said. "Would it have been worth it around this time though?" Scout asked. "Would choosing a better house mean that we'd still have Bangclaw? We'd have a stable city? We would all be living? Without that day, Druid, our world would've descended into anarchy. I don't want to say her death is a good thing… but it led to Overwatch, your own police force where 420's failed. Your own army to wage war against those who would repeat the practices Johnny made unto Anti-Druid. Your own empire, to help fight Syntox's army in the time of utter destruction. The world needed a hero, Druid. You were that hero. Letting this hold you down will make all that go to waste." Scout explained. Druid turned around. "We gotta stop Vik. No matter what it takes." He said. Scout thought it over. Stopping Vik would not only be difficult… it could make things worse. "Very well. I will help you, Druid." Scout said. "However… this may be the start of another war. One I fear that we'll lose. If you do decide to fight, and not step down… know that you may not be able to win this one." He said, and walked out.

"Ready your guns. That gate will open soon and Vik will drive out. He'll get to this point on the road. When he crosses the line, we'll fire." Druid said to his squad. The squad was comprised of him, Scout, and 6 other Elites. "Ok, Scout, you take 3 with you, the remaining three are with me." Druid shouted, and Scout's team crossed the dirt road to the other side of the forest. Both knelt down behind the bushes. They heard an incoming car. "Be sure to keep out of range of the wire." Druid said, noting the tripwire mine they placed. They edged away, and soon Vik's black car was seen slowly weaving through the windy road. His tires triggered the trap, and two explosions ripped from either side of the road in the forest, rocking the car and pelting it with dirt and rocks. It halted, and the team opened fire on the car with their assault rifles whilst walking towards it. Bullets ricocheted off the hood and glass shattered. "Don't reload." Druid said, knowing that their clips would run out. A second later, the gunfire stopped. Druid and Scout walked faster towards the car to find Vik, filled with bullets and bleeding from his chest. He was still alive, yet barely. He coughed up blood and began to speak, but Scout slapped him. "You thought that by sending in a fake order, you could get me removed from the city." Druid said. Vik smiled, blood on his teeth, and whispered "Yes… I did. Nobody wants scum like you in this city… this, this whole thing *cough* was for the good of the people… *cough cough*" Druid scoffed. "Good of the people? Scout, I think we hit him in the head." He said. Scout looked at Vik, who was trying to raise his arm. "Don't." Scout said, raising a knife to Vik's throat. "Scout… you never knew when to see the truth. That even the best *cough* men can fall," Vik said. "I hope… after all these years, that you're happy." Scout looked at Druid, and Druid looked back at him. "Druid is just… a rabid dog, a rabid dog that didn't get his bone. But, heh, don't take my word for it…" Vik wheezed, as he finally grabbed what he was reaching for. Scout looked over and saw an online communicator, patched in to… He shot the communicator and then aimed the gun at Vik. Vik weakly laughed. "You've… just started a war." Vik laughed with minor sarcasm. He looked at Druid, who was staring off into the trees. "I hope… you're fucking happy." Vik spat, and with that, he died. Scout faced Druid again. "We still have time to clear this up." Scout said. "No. We don't." Druid replied in a flat tone. With that, he stormed off with his soldiers. "Where are you going?" Scout asked. Druid paused, twenty feet away from Scout. "I'm going to settle this once and for all. Our backs are to the wall, Scout. We need to fight the horde." Druid said. "No! Vik might've died for this, but there's no reason why you should start killing—""YES THERE IS A REASON." Druid screamed. "DO YOU NOT SEE?! THE WHOLE FUCKING WORLD IS AGAINST US, NOW, SCOUT!" Scout looked at Vik's body, and back at Druid, who continued to walk away. He realized in a split second that what he helped do was very wrong. He now knew that Druid had indeed been left unchecked, and that it was his entire fault. He grabbed his pistol and fired off a round, hitting an Elite in the back of the head, and killing him. The others turned to fire their weapons, but they hadn't reloaded. Scout continued to fire his gun, and Elite after Elite fell. He had begun to reload when a bullet hit him square in the chest. Druid had fired his own pistol at Scout. Scout wheeled for a moment and fell hard on his back on the dirt ground.

"I can't let anything get in my way." Druid said, kneeling over Scout. "Dr-Druid, please…" Scout stammered, the shock of the bullet still in him. "Scout. I am not going to stand by while 420 wants me dead or imprisoned. I saved them in Syntox's War. The least they could've done is let me continue my business in peace." "Your business… it's war. War. War isn't the kind of thing you let somebody continue in peacetime." Scout said, gasping for breath. Druid half-smiled. "I consider it protection." He said, and he rose. "I just wish—crap. An engine. That must be them, we got to run. Go, now!" Druid shouted, and what was left of his squad ran with him back towards the city. Scout was left on the ground as the engines came closer and closer. He had just started to black out when he saw RedArrow's face. "Take him to our bunker." He heard him say, before sliding into unconsciousness.

"-bullet is very close to his heart… it's a wonder he's even alive at all, to be honest." "Hey, Hillary, get those pliers for me, please." "—why we're even saving him at all!" "Calm down, Kush. You'll wake him. We don't have many sedatives here—"

Scout awoke slowly in a hospital. However, this hospital was cold… colder than usual. He found himself strapped to a wall, with small tables of surgical equipment around him. He also saw that he was in patient's garb. _Explains the coldness_, he thought. At that moment, he saw the door opening, and RedArrow entered the room. "Aye… you chose the wrong side alright." He said. "You side with Druid then he betrays you… doesn't that sound familiar? Reminds me of… oh wait! Could it possibly be Druid again? What coincidence." RedArrow taunted. Scout said nothing. "I don't like it when my own friends switch sides on me. Now, this wouldn't be a big deal if you were a civilian, but an ADMIN… that changes things drastically." Red said. "What do you want?" Scout asked. "Oh, I don't want anything. I just kept you alive so you could see the consequences of your actions." Red said, and two more unidentified people, in military gear, wheeled a television into the room. The television showed the screens of many cameras throughout the base, showing pods with one human each inside them. Scout guessed they were in a sort of sleep state. "Activate the Purge." Red said.

Scout suddenly saw many red lights appear on the cameras, and pods began to open. The red lights belonged to the formerly sleeping humans, and they stepped out of their chambers in what appeared to be advanced bodysuits. They immediately turned and began to march to the next room, which the cameras switched to reveal a long wall of G36 assault rifles. Scout watched as the cyborgs grabbed one rifle each. "Target: Overwatch and any Admins or Trusted ranks you see." Red added, and as he saw Scout, said "In addition: Warrior Priests." The army marched to another chamber, which had the roof open to reveal a helipad. Several 420 heavy VTOLs landed, and each took about 60 cyborgs before taking off. "Now, you get to watch as your former friend dies, taking thousands with him." Red said. "Enjoy the show." And with that, he walked off. Scout waited for several hours before finally falling asleep.

When he woke up one hour later, Scout had his hands and feet tied with leather belts, so he struggled in vain to get free. He began to think that this was the end. He then began to pray, thinking that this was his last chance to do so. "My lord Raptor Jesus… I have not spoken to you as often as I should have… please forgive me of my greatest sin, which was the death of many of my friends, and the disgust of the rest. Forgive me that I may finally be in the holy realm with you, free from mortal bonds. I may not have my knife, nor my garb nor my mask… but forgive me all the same." He finished his prayer, and shortly after heard shouts in the hallways. They were muffled, but Scout could make out some of the words "—AHH! AHHH!" "Get it out of me! No! NO!" "get back, he's got a… what the fuck is that thing?!" "No, NO NO NO-AGGHHHHHH" coupled with the sounds of bones and flesh being torn apart. Scout heard blood spatter against his door, and wondered what the hell was happening. He then heard a crash to his right, as a guard dived into the one-way window. The guard was pale, and he was breathing very heavily. He held his gun up to where the shattered window was, and then at Scout. "Problem?" Scout asked as calmly as he could. The guard began to cry in fear, and put the gun to his own head. He pulled the trigger, sending more blood into the room. Scout blinked, trying to figure out what it all was. He heard dead silence except for footsteps. The door opened, and a very, very bloody Johnny stepped into the room. He wiped the blood off his hands onto the guard's sleeves, and took off his boot, revealing, unsurprisingly, a bloody sock. Johnny sighed and put his boot back on. He turned to face Scout, who was too busy looking at the sheer amount of gore that he couldn't say anything. Johnny made a move to get Scout down. "No, no, I'm fine here, thank you." Scout said. Johnny stared at him for a moment, then began to use Scout's patient gown to wipe off his face. Scout sighed, and Johnny smiled. He then undid the belts, sending Scout collapsing on the ground. He hadn't stood on his legs all day… "Thanks." Scout said, rubbing his wrists. Johnny lightly saluted and began to take the boots and socks off of the guard's body.

Druid, meanwhile, was organizing an offensive. "I am calling back EVERY Overwatch soldier into this city. We are to invade Scout's district first, and annex Outlaw's district again. We take the Industrial Centre, and then finally, assault Pseudo's district. When that is finished, we attack the Republican District from all sides. This is expected to be done within 2 weeks. Understood?" he said to his generals. "Understood, sir!" all of them said in unison. "Good, then you will mobilize troops now. GO!" he shouted.

Druid's troops, on the first day, successfully invaded Scout's district. The priests were scattered by the force of Overwatch's charge, and retreated back into Pseudo's district. Druid had sent the official declaration of war to RedArrow a day afterwards. Two days later, General Sora's troops had invaded the Los Santos district with very little resistance besides local militia. The militia had effectively halved his force, but Druid commanded him to hold. However, 420 District grew stronger by annexing Pseudo's district and the Industrial District, and reinforcements in the form of The Last Hope had returned from Tropical Town, strengthened by training. General Fingerknitter was beaten back whilst trying to attack the Industrial Centre, and Sora, with a recovered force, tried to assault it yet still lost the battle. Druid had now received every man in the major colonial cities, which amounted to 250,000 troops in the one city. The Republic's army, with Last Hope and Native support, was 420,000. Biotech had refused at the last minute to help Overwatch, and thus they split from the Colonies and moved further inland. The Overwatch navy presented a large challenge to Tropical, who unwittingly was leading 420 in a war that his own Superadmins started. He had thought that Druid had finally gone drunk with power, and thus he was the one who started the war. The battleships were now in the hands of Druid, and given that Trop's back was to the coast, he feared a naval bombardment in this crowded of a city would substantially harm his force, along with civilians. He had also gotten word that many other cities were seceding; California had proclaimed itself the Union of California, Cosmoscity copied that system with the Union of Cosmoscity. Townsend and Cityway were once again destroyed by rioters and looters, and Bunker City, recently designed by Pseudonymous, had vowed only to answer to Pseudo. Pseudo, however, still aligned himself with the 420 cause. Druid was now preparing for an all-out assault on 420 district. All the Superadmins would be there, and the Navy and Air Force would hound them constantly before the main battle would even begin, wearing them down to make the job easier for ground troops. All the while, the Superadmins' army was marching to the city, untiring.

Scout, with Johnny's help, escaped the bunker with their gear to find that he was in the forest, not far from where a battle was raging. "So it began…" he sighed. Johnny nodded, and the two of them ran along the road to the city. Scout saw a group running towards them and raised his rifle, but Johnny forced it down. Scout noticed that it was Pie Lord and AbstraKT. "Oh, thank Raptor Jesus… what's going on in there?" Scout asked. "Druid's declared war. He's finally betrayed Trop after so many years." Pie Lord said. "No, that's not right. It was the Council of Superadmins who manipulated this. RedArrow has initiated something called the 'Purge'." "WHAT?! THE PURGE?!" AbstraKT said in alarm. "Why?" "I don't know. He set it to target not only Overwatch, but my priests, and Admins as well." Scout said. "Sonofabitch." Pie Lord sighed. "Listen, there's still time. We can stop the war and stop the purge if we tell Trop the truth, and get the Superadmins out of power." Scout said. "Well, look at what you just said. The Superadmins are the ones who initiated the Purge, Druid has betrayed you and labeled you an enemy, and Trop knows that you helped Druid kill Vik, although not necessarily the reason why. I don't think you're getting into that city, Scout." AbstraKT said. "True, I'm not… but you are." Scout said. Pie Lord looked confused, and Scout told his plan.

Druid had arranged, painstakingly, for a meeting with Trop at California. Trop accepted, and the two of them were escorted into the Government Centre there to negotiate with each-other. "You've finally gone over the edge, Druid. I knew that at one point you'd decide to initiate the war." Trop said. Druid sighed. "Trop. I know the truth, about why we are at war. About why Vik was killed. Would you allow me to speak?" he asked. "You're no longer loyal to me… why would you request permission from your enemy to do anything?" Trop asked quizzically. "It is not you who I war with, but the Superadmins' Council. Vik was to give a forged order to you as supposed 'evidence' that I was to declare war on 420. We killed him en-route to you. The Superadmins and Vik had engineered this as to get me out of power." Druid explained. Trop smiled in disbelief at first, then saw in Druid's eyes that he was serious. Trop cleared his throat, whilst trying to take this all in. "Why wouldn't they tell me, then?" he asked. "That is beyond my knowledge. However, I have a theory that maybe they were acting in what they thought was best for the city. Everyone in this current war is acting for what they think is best." Druid said. Trop nodded. "Trop. You'll need to get them out of office and take executive actions to end the war." Druid pleaded, and Trop agreed. They got up from their chairs and shook hands, as cameras flashed from the other end of the room. Then, a gunshot rang out among the flashes, and Druid instinctively ducked. He saw Trop lying on the ground, bleeding from his throat. Amidst the screaming there was more gunfire, as Overwatch and 420 troops took each-other out, each mistaking the other for an assassination attempt. "Come on, Trop. Stay with me." Druid said, keeping pressure on the wound, but it was too late. Trop grabbed his arm and moved his mouth to say something, and then collapsed. The gunfire stopped, with the 420 troops emerging victorious. The remainder of their squad aimed their weapons at Druid. "Druid! Surrender now and you will not die here! You are under arrest for ordering an assassination on Tropical Trail Mix's life!" the captain shouted. Druid knew better than to resist, so he got up and stuck out his arms. The handcuffs went on, and the squad escorted Druid to the prison.

Scout put his plan into motion, meanwhile. He had hid himself in the trunk of Pie Lord's car, and entered the city with little problem (the skirmish was still raging between 420 and Overwatch forces at the gate). When they got to 420 district, Scout hopped out of the trunk and snuck into the apartment building. Him, Pie Lord, Johnny and AbstraKT walked up the stairs all the way to the top of the building. They took up positions on either side of the door, and Scout kicked it in. All the Superadmins were present, including RedArrow. Only two soldiers were in the room with them, but Pie Lord and Johnny took them out quickly before they could fire off a shot. "Scout?! How… how did you escape?!" Red asked, shocked. Scout walked slowly towards the Superadmins. "That's now important. What is important is that you stop this damn war, and the Purge. Thousands will die here because of your actions." Scout said. "There is no stopping it, Scout," Kush said. "Once that army is mobilized, it's mobilized. We can't take it out. They've been engineered to best every opponent in front of them." "Where is Trop? He designed the army, he can find a way." Scout asked. RedArrow put on a face of sorrow. "Druid has assassinated Trop in California during negotiations." He said. "He is in prison now, sentenced to death." Scout's face fell, and he lowered his gun. "Druid assassinated him? No, that can't be." He said. "Damnit, Scout, FACE THE TRUTH!" FTW shouted. "Druid has changed. HE'S. CHANGED. There's no way you can reason with him now. He has to be stopped. Luckily for us, he's going to be. Once Overwatch figures out that they have no leader, they'll disband easily. He is their heart. Take it away, and they won't live." Scout thought hard. He had indeed made possibly his greatest mistake in his life: letting a monster grow right underneath his nose. He had helped Druid on his bloody rampage. "So… the war's over," Scout said. The Superadmins nodded. "Yet the Purge is still activated. We need to do something." Scout said. "Scout… we just need to wait it out." Red said. "No. You told them to target Overwatch, my priests, and admins." Scout said, and the other Superadmins all looked at RedArrow in confusion. "What, he hadn't told you?" Scout asked, glaring at Red. "No, I-I-I didn't—" Red stuttered, backing away from them. "Why did you plan all of this? Why would you bring this city to fire?!" Scout shouted. "I DID IT BECAUSE I WANTED MORE FOR OUR FUTURE!" Red screamed. He was backed into the corner now, and sobbing. "I thought that Trop's leadership was inadequate. He just let Druid do what he pleased in this city, with corrupt and ineffective admins doing nothing to stop him. WELL I HAD ENOUGH!" he sobbed. "I told Vik to tell Trop a lie that Druid was planning to overthrow him. When you learned of it, I knew that Vik would face confrontation. Well, he died. BUT DRUID SHOT YOU, DIDN'T HE?!" Red screamed. "Yes, he did. He did because he was afraid. I knew that he would blame the Superadmins, and declare war. I aimed to make this war not happen, and he shot me for it, because he was afraid." Scout said. "I doubt that any side was in the wrong but yours. By sending Vik out, you flat-out told Druid that he should attempt to war with you. He didn't want to fight Trop, or 420… just you." Scout said. "What about the Purge? Why did you call that in?" Pie Lord asked. "I… I told everyone a lie that the admins below us were traitors for helping Druid and not fighting him. They were corrupt, yes, but… not that corrupt. I imagined a world with Overwatch destroyed along with the many admins and imagined the perfect order… only the Superadmins in charge, and thus we could start anew and have a perfect, clean system. There was only one snag. Druid was in negotiations with Trop over ending the war. Since he knew that I was behind this, I feared that he would tell Trop, and Trop would expose the plot to the Republic. I had sent an assassin to take out Trop and make it look like Druid organized it, that way he was sent to prison. That freed up a spot for Trop's title, and also took off the head of Overwatch. The war was finally going to be won, with me as leader of a bright future… and then you showed up." Red said. Scout said nothing. "If you kill me now, then nobody will be left. Nobody to rule… this Republic will crumble… and it will be all thanks to y—" Scout shot RedArrow in the head, and the man slumped to the ground against the corner, blood mixing with the tears on his face. Scout turned to the rest of the Superadmins. "Listen. All of you." Scout said. "We need to end the war as soon as we can. Since Druid will not speak to you… I will lead this Republic." Scout said. The Council looked around for any reaction, but said nothing. "I will take up Trop's mantle until this crisis ends. By Raptor Jesus' good grace we will obtain peace, and we will reform. This government always needed reform… now is our time." He claimed, and looked around at all the Superadmins in the room. "If any of you object to this action, then please do what you will with your lives… until they are taken away from you by the civilians, because Druid will tell them soon enough the truth, and when he does, we will not only have a Purge coming our way, but a revolution. Join with me, and we'll stop the war and end the Purge together."

Druid waited in his cell as he threw a pebble against the wall repeatedly. "Stop doing that, for the last time." His guard said, outside the cell door. "That's what you said 3 times ago…" Druid muttered. "You don't think I won't aim this rifle at you and blow your fucking brains out? Think again. Your boys killed many friends of mine. I won't hesitate to be the hero who ended you." The guard replied angrily. Druid got up from his prison bunk. "My friend. If you indeed want to blow my fucking brains out then fine. Do it. Might as well, seeing how it's arriving in 3…" "What's arriving?" the guard asked. "2…" Druid counted. "Alright, buddy, I hope this hurts a lot!" the guard said, raising his rifle. "1…" Druid said, and the man put his finger inside the trigger-hole… suddenly the wall behind the guard burst open with bricks flying everywhere. One brick struck the guard in the back of the head, knocking him out onto the floor. As the dust cleared, Druid could see an armored Escalade with Overwatch colors on it. He then saw that the lock on his door was busted, and he casually opened it and closed it behind him when he got out of the cell. "Welcome back to the world, sir! We made sure nobody missed you!" the driver shouted. "Alright, amigos, let's get out of here." Druid said, hopping into the passenger's seat. In the rest of the prison, inmates were being freed out of their cells by Overwatch troops. "If you value any chance of survival, you will come with us to New Bangclaw." The commanding officer said over a megaphone. The inmates were then given P90's and a Kevlar vest, and were told to pile onto the backs of pickup trucks, where they followed the yellow Escalade out of California.

Meanwhile, in the 420 camp, Aviation Duck was reading of Trop's death in the newspaper. "Do you believe it, sir?" one guerilla asked. Aviation looked up and sighed. "At this point I don't know what to believe." He said. He saw Scout emerging from the apartments and walked to him. "Overwatch seems quiet." He reported. "Good. I assume you're aware of what's going on?" Scout asked. "Yep… is it done?" Aviation asked in a low tone. "Yes. I've taken control of 420 temporarily… I'm aiming to end this war with Druid and reform the Republic in time to face the Purge." Scout said. "All I can say is good luck." Aviation sighed. "Don't worry. It'll work out. Under the new order there won't be an Overwatch, or a Last Hope. You two will finally live in peace, maybe even have friendly relations." "You know what I would give to see that? I hope it does work." Aviation grumbled, as he walked back to his camp.

**Chapter 21:** Battle of New Bangclaw

The next day, cheers were heard from Overwatch's side of the city. Druid had returned, and he had brought reinforcements. "Scout, I believe he truly aims to eradicate 420, the more I think about it." Kush said at a meeting. "This isn't about being deceived or anything… he truly wants 420 to bend its knee." Smiley stated. Scout slammed his fist on the table. "I do not want to hear anything else. This war will be over and that is fin—" Suddenly, a siren sounded from inside the camp. "That's an air raid siren." Scout said. They all looked at one another and dashed out of the room. They made their way down to the camp to see a crowd all around an old man cranking the siren. "It's up there! In the sky!" the man cried, pointing upwards. Scout saw nothing but clouds. "Sir, you must've mistaken something." A soldier said. "No! look! Up there! Keep looking!" the old man said, and Scout looked hard. He at first saw nothing, then saw a black shape in the sky, followed by another, and another. "Airships!" he shouted, and the sight of many smaller objects falling from those airships caused everyone in the camp to raise alarm. Throughout the camp, bombs rained down, taking out groups of men by the dozens with each blast. "AGH!" one man screamed as Scout ran past him. His leg was blown off by one bomb and it was bleeding heavily. "Jameson, get those natives in the subway! Killsbury, tell the guerillas to mount those AA guns! Corporal, you're with me!" Aviation shouted, commanding a squad of fighters into the subways. More bombs dropped, and Scout could not see them through the dust.

Druid looked through his binoculars at the disruption taking place. "Good. Keep up the bombardment." He ordered through the communicator. "Druid, what about Scout and your friends out there?" Fingerknitter asked, concerned. "They made their choice. This is for the greater good." Druid said. Finger gave him a suspicious look, and Druid added, "I don't expect you to understand my motive. I'm trying to take control of the city to make sure that the people are safe again. It'll be just like our original aim… hell, it is our original aim. We've been too concerned with fighting others that we forget that we're supposed to protect them. What I don't understand is, why would they resist it?" Druid asked. "Sir, we're out of bombs." The airship commander said. "Understood. Return back to the airfield." Druid said. "Artillery, commence firing!" he shouted, and the troops near the guns readied their ammunition.

The pause in the bombing was enough for Scout to notice all the damage that was caused. Perhaps hundreds, or thousands, lost their lives or limbs. Then, he heard the cannons firing. "TAKE COVER!" he screamed at those who survived, and they dragged what they could to a safer place. The shells began to pummel the ground, walls, and buildings again, this time exploding with more force. Scout took cover inside the apartments, and narrowly avoided shrapnel coming for him. He picked up one of the pieces to see that it was not a metal fragment, but a ball bearing. He frantically turned on his communicator to patch into all the superior officers of the army in the city. "Anti-personnel shot. Move indoors." He ordered. The bombardment continued for 5 more minutes until it paused again. "Everyone, listen to me. He's going to pound us with everything to wear us down, I know his style. The next bombardment we get, just stay underground or against the walls." Scout ordered, as he braced himself for the next assault.

"Okay, and now for the last part." Druid said. "Well, second to last." He added with a chuckle. He turned on his device and said "Leader to Aquamen, you have my clearance." "Understood, sir. Let's blow these bastards to smithereens!" the commanding officer, Captain Price, shouted to his naval crew. They all roared with pride as they mounted their guns. The Overwatch naval ships had been extensively remodeled to look less like a scrapheap and more of an actual battleship, topped off with bulletproof and blast-proof plating. The cannons thundered as the entire Overwatch fleet concentrated fire on 420's half of the city.

_This bombardment is heavier than both combined._ Scout thought as the ground shook so much that he fell on his back. "Scout! There's no telling when the subway entrance will cave in under all this pressure!" Aviation shouted over the communicator. "HOLD!" Scout replied, grabbing the wall. He heard the entire Apartment building start to collapse, and he dashed out of it to meet the Superadmins, who were bracing against the wall. "FTW's dead. Shell got him on second assault." A blood-stained Norsk said. Kush seemed to have a concussion, and Smiley was trying to patch up Svensk, whose arm was bleeding heavily. Scout looked up and prayed that the building would not fall in their direction. Luckily, it didn't. It started to fall in the direction of Overwatch, and the collapse blocked off the tunnel to the Industrial district, as well as killing many soldiers in the Los Santos district.

"Stop, stop, STOP!" Druid shouted. He had seen the building collapse and knew that if he was going to get anywhere in controlling the city, destruction of property was the last thing he wanted. The bombardment stopped, and Druid sighed. Sometimes it just didn't pay to do this job.

"No, stay where you are." Scout said to everyone on his channel. "I know what's going to happen next." he beckoned for the Superadmins to follow him. "Kush and Svensk are in no shape to run with you." FTW said, confused. "Well, carry them." Scout said quickly, as he began to run across the cratered field.

"You! Men of 234 Overwatch regiments, each regiment carrying 600 soldiers! You will be the largest wave ever sent into battle by Overwatch before! You are over half of the whole empire's armed forces, and so I do not expect you to fail me! You will storm that wall! Take it! You will kill every last soldier or guerilla who dares resist their fates, and you will win this battle not for me, not for Overwatch, but for you! This city, under our control, will become even more prosperous and powerful than it is now! I can see it now… the Overwatch Empire complete. It will become a haven for trade, commerce, culture and technology! This Empire will prosper, but not without you! Only one thing stands in our way of achieving our ultimate dream of peace and it shall be a cakewalk! Without any more delay, I order you to assault the walls!" Druid shouted. The horde of soldiers cheered their approval and their officers gave orders for marching. Druid could see each regiment march out of the gates one by one, and heard the marching of hundreds of boots on the ground. He knew that right now, he would finally accomplish his goal of order.

"Everything is set up. We have the traps readied and have retreated deep into the subway. Druid will have to go through heavy pressure to get to us, so I doubt that he'll bother when the first traps are sprung." Aviation reported. "No, he will. He's headstrong; he'll push no matter the cost. What is important right now is that we remain hidden. I hear the marching right now." Scout replied. They all were in the subway, with guerilla fighters hiding in the ruined apartment building and garage. The marching became louder and louder as the soldiers approached the gate. "Remember, fire only when the trap is sprung." Scout said to the guerillas over his communicator. "Aye sir. They're climbing the walls now." One reported. Scout nodded and waited. The gatehouse was blown open as more soldiers poured through the entryway. The Overwatch troops were confused to see nobody. They expected a hail of bullets, but saw only the churned grassland. "General, there's nobody here. What should we do?" the officers asked. Druid was confused. "Where could they have gone… subway." Druid answered. "Sir, yes sir. Moving to subway." The officers said, and the troops began to move down the wall. Suddenly, the dirt began to move under the feet of the soldiers. "The hell is that?" one asked. Suddenly, the dirt began to rise from under their feet, revealing a spinning sawblade. "Oh… SHIT!" the soldiers cried, and the sawbeasts began to fling everywhere, decapitating and maiming the soldiers on the ground. The troops began to shoot at the sawbeasts, hitting each-other and the metal with their bullets. This only served to anger the sawbeasts, who even more ferociously tore through the flesh of the soldiers.

Druid saw the carnage taking place and stomped on the ground in frustration. "Damnit. Order the aircraft there. We're going to douse the damn things in acid and be done with it." He said. "But sir, there's our men over there." Fingerknitter said. Druid looked at him. "THEN PULL THEM BACK!" he yelled, and turned his attention back to the battle.

The whistles blew, and the Overwatch soldiers retreated from the walls. In total, perhaps 400 soldiers died from that alone. Bodies piled behind the walls, and some sawbeasts escaped into the town; however the soldiers managed to trap them and tie them up with industrial cables. The air strike began as acid was poured onto the field. The smell of deteriorating flesh and melting metal reached the soldiers as they put on their gas masks to filter the smell. "Acid." Scout said to his troops, back in the subway. "Well, now we can't get out, can we?" Aviation asked. "Oh yes we can. Knowing Druid, he used the old Biotech acid that he was barred from using in his older wars against you. The kind that just disappears harmlessly after a few seconds. It's mainly a shock attack." Scout replied. Aviation grumbled. "There's many things he did in that war, Scout." "Well, I know that. This is just one of the lesser ones." Scout said.

"ADVANCE!" one of the Overwatch officers shouted, and the troops returned to pour thorough the gates after the acid dissipated. The soldiers were greeted by bullets this time, coming from the wreckage, the craters, and seemingly everywhere else. The guerillas had set up machine-gun nests in the craters, and mortars from the top of the nearby parking garage. The troops were again getting cut down by tens each second, but they time they fired back, sending a few machine-gunners out of commission. Bullets riddled the advancing horde, yet still they slowly took out the emplacements. "Shit. RETREAT!" Scout shouted. His division of 420 soldiers and priests retreated further into the subway, yet Aviation stayed. "Come on, Duck! We gotta go!" Scout shouted over the gunfire. "No. This is our time. We'll use it to buy you some!" Aviation shouted back, providing suppression fire on the soldiers himself. "It's an honor to serve!" He yelled later, and Scout leapt further down the stairs. "Johnny. Set it up." He said as he led a squad of insurgents onto the tracks and down into the tunnel. Meanwhile, Johnny took his backpack and slung it against the nearby pillar. He then ran to a nearby wall and pushed a wood crate next to the pack. He ran back and forth, pushing multiple crates, until he finally reached into his bag and pulled out a crowbar. With that, he broke one of the crates open, revealing gears and parts. He smiled and began to grab the first few parts for assembly.

"Sir, we have barely half of our force left, but we have secured the main gate." One of the Overwatch troops reported. "Good." Druid said. He looked out at the smoking half of the city and sighed. He turned his head to face the Bangclaw gate, and saw a trail of smoke rising from the road outside the city. "What… the hell?" he wondered. "Get a sniper team into the tower and find out what that is." He said. Soon a squad of five snipers was seen climbing the ladder. "Sir, it looks like a convoy." One reported. "Colors. Are there colors?" Druid asked, concerned. "Yes, sir… Blue." The soldiers said. Druid paused. Blue… suddenly he realized. "Pull our troops out of there RIGHT NOW!" Druid shouted. His chief officers were alarmed at this sudden change. "Sir?" one asked. "If they are who I think they are (and I know I'm not wrong), then we've just attracted the Equestrian Army."

The horns blew as the Equestrian Army approached the city gates. The shrieks and war cries of the brony soldiers echoed throughout the forest as the vehicles moved closer. They had heard of the conflict and decided to ally with 420 against Overwatch, remembering the atrocities committed by Druid against the peaceful Brony communities of California and Evocity. Additionally, an influential member of the army was good friends with Scout in earlier times. They had no qualms about fighting and dying against Overwatch at this point; not when the fate of the colonies was teetering. The vehicles got within one mile of the gate, and the bronies set up their mortars in the back of the pickup trucks, and fired them off into the city. The mortar shells didn't get far, but they did strike the Government Center and most of the buildings around the gates. They fired another salvo, and this time the barrage inched closer. "Finger, I want one-half of the force here to entrench themselves at the gate. Do not let any of the bronies inside." Druid said. Fingerknitter paused, and Druid waited for a second. "NOW!" he shouted, and Finger walked off.

Fingerknitter led three regiments outside the gates and ordered them to wait. He pressed a few buttons on his communicator and turned to his men. "Everybody switch to the private channel I've just created." He shouted. The soldiers all attuned their communicators to the new channel, and Finger spoke into his. "I've organized a vote. It should be sent to you right now. All in favor of breaking away from Druid's Overwatch and helping to form our own press the green button. All who are not press the red button." Finger said. The soldiers hesitated, and thought for a long while. Finally, the votes totaled at 1249 yes, and 551 no. "All those who said no, you may return to battle. You may stay here. It makes no difference to us. I wish you well in future endeavors… it is an honor to have served with you." Fingerknitter said, and he motioned for his supporters to follow him. He led them into the woods and away from the city, while the remainder of Overwatch soldiers stayed to fight. Some, however, quickly changed their minds and ran after Finger's party.

Scout ordered the arrangements of troops along the subway tunnels so that they could hide more effectively for the ambush. He didn't believe that any of them would see the light of day again when Druid moved his troops down. "Scout, we need to treat the wounded. We have no place." FTW said. Scout looked around and remembered that his mask had night-vision. He turned that on and looked around the tunnels again. He flipped another switch and the room turned wireframe. He started to jog down the tunnel, with a confused FTW following behind. Scout knocked on a portion of the wall, and then reached inside of his bag. "Scout, what in the hell are you doing?" FTW asked. "Back away. About ten feet." Scout mumbled. FTW sighed and did as Scout said. He later saw Scout running away, followed by an explosion. "SCOUT!" FTW shouted, and then Scout went forward again. "It's done. There's a small sandy cave in here with a small lake. Use that as a place." He said, and patted FTW on the head before running off again. FTW shrugged and started to order the medics into the cave with the wounded.

"Finger… FINGER!" Druid shouted. He had still gotten no response. "FUCK!" he yelled, and pulled out his revolver. He fired all 6 shots wildly towards the battle, and threw his gun to the ground. His other officers looked concerned. "I ask the simplest thing: end this war. AND NONE OF YOU ARE CAPABLE OF DOING IT!" he shouted. "WE'VE WON! WE'VE BREACHED THEIR WALL; WE'VE FORCED THEM INTO THE DARK! HOW HARD CAN IT FUCKING BE?!"

The bronies, meanwhile, had reached the gates, and rapidly cut down the Overwatch troops. They set a pile of C4 down at the gate and lit the fuse. The blast was so powerful that it took out the nearest trucks, soldiers with them. Nonetheless, the Equestrian Army cheered and charged into the city. Druid felt the explosion from the fort, and looked to the gate in alarm. The Equestrian Army had broken through! _Fingerknitter… _he thought angrily. "Where's Fingerknitter?" he shouted to his officers. They all looked at one another, as if to signal the other to speak. Eventually, one did speak. "Sir… we've gotten reports that he has deserted. He's taken over three-quarters of his force with him." The man said. Druid froze. "Then he is a coward, and will be the first to be put to death when we win this!" another officer snapped. "It's come to this. I want every single man in the sky and sea… EVERY MAN, DO YOU HEAR THAT?! EVERY MAN… to raze this whole city to the ground. We're going to the tunnel and ending this. After that, we're going to hold off against the Equestrians." Druid said, and he stormed off.

The troops at the tunnel, meanwhile, were gaining ground. They had just pushed through the guerillas and were storming down the stairs… BAM! Suddenly the entire front of the group were torn apart by flying pellets, as SaintJohnnyGat fired a shotgun cannon towards the stairs. He quickly loaded another canister and fired that off, tearing off bits of the soldiers' bodies on the second blast. The troops could not see Johnny, but he could see their legs, and he fired another shot, causing the pile of bodies to rapidly grow. Johnny laughed maniacally as he playfully threw 12 pocket sawbeasts at the crowd of soldiers, causing even more blood to fly. "Sir! Sir it's a bloodbath!" Johnny heard one private cry into his stained communicator. "That's an understatement." A voice said, and Johnny turned to see Scout, who was watching the carnage as well. "I don't give a flying fuck if it is! You're so close. It's nothing force won't handle!" Druid shouted to him, shortly before the private's arm was completely severed by a sawbeast.

The Equestrian Army caught Druid's troops en route to the battlefield, and Druid ordered a rifle-wall be set up. "Switch to semi-automatic." He said shortly after, seeing the charging horde down the road. He waited until they were 30 meters away… "FIRE!" he shouted, and his wall of guns was lit up by the flashes of gunfire. By tens, the bronies fell dead or wounded in the street, yet still they charged with their axes, clubs and pistols. "Fix bayonets!" Druid ordered, and the wall attached bayonets to the ends of their M4 rifles. The bronies were now about 20 meters away… "CHARGE!" Druid yelled, and the wall broke ranks to rush at the bronies. The soldiers unloaded what was left in their clips at the incoming horde before charging fully. They rammed into the crowd with force, sending their bayonets into the chests of the mob. Druid himself drew his broadsword and joined the fray. He sliced open two Equestrians in one swing and used the momentum from the blade to spin around and catch another that was trying to attack him from behind. He then brought the blade over his head, lodging the blade into another Equestrian, only to bring it down again on the shoulder of another enemy. "Choppers, we need support down here, light them up!" Druid shouted into his communicator. "Will do, sir. En-route with three WAC Black Hawks." The commander of the aircraft said, and soon helicopters arrived. The doors on the sides opened to reveal soldiers setting up turrets, who then descended low enough to send dust and debris flying through the brony mob. They sprayed many bullets into the crowd, taking out a good chunk of the opposing force before lifting off again. "Coming around for round two. Gunners, feel free to light them up from up here." The pilots said, and the gunners concentrated on the gates, where the last of the army was pouring through. "Incoming! RPG's!" the gunners screamed, and rockets were seen shooting upwards towards the choppers. "Shit, I've lost one of my rotors, going down!" the pilot resumed. "I'm going to try to ram into them… one last thing that I can do." He said, and he pressed the nose of the copter downwards, into the advancing horde of Equestrians. He brought a red mist against his windshield as the remaining rotors carved through the mob, whilst they were being crushed by the incoming chopper. The chopper crashed into the wall of a store and later blew up, causing even more casualties. Druid noticed that the Equestrians were faltering, and he pushed forward to slay more. He then felt himself being grabbed by his collar and thrown down behind him. He looked up to see none other than his former friend, Scout360Pyro.

**Chapter 22: **The Purge

Druid hopped up, and narrowly avoided a blow from Scout which would've sent him back down. He turned around, his back to the now-retreating bronies, to see Scout, FTW, Pseudonymous, Pie Lord, and AbstraKT, along with a small band of 420 and militia soldiers. Druid's Overwatch soldiers turned to see the same thing, and instinctively formed a rifle-wall behind him, reloading their guns while they did so. "It's over, Druid. You've lost. Your men have retreated, died, and/or deserted. You're finished." Scout said. Druid said nothing, but swung his sword down, removing some of the blood. "I'm far from finished. It's just you now. You… and your fools of friends." Druid said. "Fools? Think hard on that. I was the only one stopping you from becoming a fool." Scout said. "Now, because of your damned war, 420 will never be the same. Trop is dead… RedArrow is dead. Vik, Aviation… they're all dead because of you. Please, surrender now. End it." Scout demanded. Druid looked at the host before him, and stepped forward. He grabbed Scout by the shoulders, and flung himself to the ground with Scout, while the Overwatch rifle-wall opened fire on the 420 soldiers. FTW was instantly hit in the chest three times, while Pseudonymous was wounded in the leg. Pie Lord and AbstraKT were miraculously unscathed, as they pulled the two men to the safety of the concrete half-wall of the park. Scout and Druid engaged in a fist-fight, and Scout shouted "NOW!" His warrior priests seemingly appeared out of nowhere, leaping off of the shop to ambush the Overwatch troops, who thrust upwards with their bayonet-rifles in an attempt to quickly kill them. When this failed, they were now in brutal hand-to-hand with the warrior priests, which saw detached bayonets versus serrated knives. Druid somersaulted to get away from his and Scout's fistfight, and Scout shot up to the ground with the momentum of his legs. Without giving Druid or himself time to breath, he charged at the former with his own knife, while Druid dual-wielded his own knives. They dodged and swung at each-other until Scout decided that he would lure Druid into his own playing field. With each swipe, he edged closer and closer to the street that led to the subway tunnels, until he threw a flashbang, which made Druid cover his eyes in pain. He took the time to place himself in a position to where Druid could still see him after the effects wore off, and began to run to the subway tunnels. His plan worked, as Druid saw Scout's boot and ran after Scout, jumping over the piles of bodies at the gate in an attempt to follow him. Scout ran down the subway stairs and hid behind the edge. He heard Druid quickly descending said stairs and popped out to clothesline him. Druid, however, was on the opposite end of the staircase, and seeing Scout's outstretched arm, swung once with his knife, gashing the front of Scout's hand through his glove. Scout jumped back in pain, clutching his bleeding hand. "Scout... you never learned, did you?" Druid said. Scout looked up to see his opponent looking up the stairs. "Learned what… that you can't trust anybody too much?" Scout asked. "No. That sometimes to save the life of a friend you have to take one." Druid said, as the door behind Scout burst open. An Overwatch Elite was seen escorting a bound Johnny, as they placed him at Druid's feet. "You have no idea how long I wanted to kill this fucker… the war never changed that." Druid said. Scout glared at him and back to Johnny, and Druid smiled. He pulled a pistol out of his vest and threw it over Johnny's head to the feet of Scout. Scout was at first puzzled, but then Druid brought Johnny up to his feet, and held the gun at his head. "Choose." Druid said. Scout was lost, and then absentmindedly picked up the gun. He stared down at the Overwatch insignia printed on the slide and looked up again. He saw Johnny looking at him, and noticed that he wasn't fighting back. He looked into Scout's eyes as if to state that he didn't care if he died here or not. Scout raised the gun, and Druid raised his head slightly. "Soldier, report to the top level. You're needed there." Druid said, and the Elite ran up the stairs without another word. "Choose." Druid said again, and Scout took two steps to his right. Druid did not rotate with Johnny to face Scout, but instead turned his head in his direction. "Don't you see, Scout… it's done. It doesn't matter who dies first. Someone will." Druid said. "Yes. You're right." Scout said, as he turned the gun on himself, shooting himself in the chest. Druid's smile dropped: he did not consider any action for this, let alone guess this would happen. Johnny took advantage of Druid's temporary shock to wrestle free and come up behind Druid, using his bindings to choke the man. Druid dropped his gun and fought hard against Johnny, who would not let go. His arms could not reach Johnny's head, and his life began to flash before his eyes as the room turned to static. The civil war he fleed from, the city he came to, the gang who killed her, the revenge he got, the mission he undertook, the wars he started, the battles he fought, befriending Scout, feeling happy for the first time after the war ended… as images flashed across his head, Druid finally broke free from his own madness. He opened his mouth as the room now was pitch-black. "I'm sorry." He whispered, and Johnny felt him go limp. He tossed Druid to the ground and took one last look at the yellow-clad warlord. He looked at Scout, who was in a puddle of blood next to the rail tracks. Johnny pulled him up onto the platform, and Scout took off his mask. "It's over… isn't it...?" Scout asked weakly. Johnny nodded. "Thank you." Scout said, and he turned his head over to face the tracks. Johnny heard the last breath leave him, as he closed Scout's eyelids with his hand. Johnny realized that he too had been freed of some form of madness, and he looked over to Druid's body. He noticed the odd way in which the body was placed, and dragged it next to Scout's. He posed it in a fashion that looked nobler, and stood up to see the two former friends laying side-by-side. Johnny swallowed and went up the stairs.

He reached the town center to see an armada of advanced aircraft flying above him. They had the insignia of 420 on them, and Johnny smiled in amazement. "To think that I once said to Trop that they wouldn't perform well." Pseudonymous said, limping towards Johnny. He too looked up at his armada and sighed in relief. "We're stopping the Purge with this." he said, as he opened up a laptop to show a bird's-eye-view of the forest, provided by a camera on the airships. They dropped multiple bombs on top of the advancing horde of machines, and watched as the pieces flew. "They said it would be unstoppable. Well, look at that." Pseudo said. Johnny smiled. "Is it done?" Pseudo asked him, closing the laptop. Johnny nodded, his smile falling. "And Scout… I don't see him with you." Pseudo responded. Johnny waited until Pseudo realized the truth. "I wish none of this happened, but there's nothing I can do." Pseudo said. "It's truly over. Not only has Overwatch been driven out… but the Republic also has. Look at us. Barely any men left alive here." Pseudo said. "There's no telling what'll happen now… all the civilians are gone or dead." He continued. Johnny looked up at the sky and looked back at Pseudo. "Pseudo, we have an Overwatch force coming back to the front gates!" One soldier shouted. Pseudo groaned. "So this is the end then. Druid won, even as he died." He said, as he made his way to the gates with Johnny. He stood atop the wall to see a few regiments of soldiers led by Fingerknitter. "We do not have the strength to fight you, Finger. Let us just make peace." Pseudo shouted. "It is not a fight I come here for. Peace is all I ask. We are no longer loyal to Druid anymore, so we wish to peacefully enter and help rebuild this city." Finger yelled back. There was a pause, and Johnny could see Pseudo looking around at the other battered troops on the wall. "There's no reason not to. I'm tired of disagreements." Pseudo said, and the gates opened. Finger saluted, and led his men inside the city. Finger gave orders to his soldiers to clean up the wreckage, and walked up the stairs to meet with Pseudo. "Did anybody else survive? Scout, Pie Lord, anyone?" He asked. "Pie Lord, yes. Scout… no." Pseudo said. "I'm sorry. He was a very good friend to both of us." Finger said, looking down. "He was a good friend to everyone." Pseudo replaied. They watched as the soldiers pulled bodies and survivors out of the broken buildings, and Finger sighed. "I never liked where Druid was going with Overwatch." He said. There was no reply. "Well… now that this damn war is over… how is your son?" Finger asked. Pseudo froze. "Damn, I forgot all about him. Shit." Pseudo said frantically, and ran down the stairs towards the Industrial District. He ran into the tunnel and past the barricades, where a few Overwatch troops stationed there were standing idly by while he ran past them. He ran to the warehouse where many civilians were kept, and searched for the nearest nurse. "I want to know, is my son okay?" he asked frantically. "Yes, he was born just a few hours ago." The nurse said. "Good, good… who was the mother?" Pseudo asked, remembering the hangover which seemed like a long time ago. "We never got a name. She was from Quantum, but we never got any papers. I'm sorry, sir, but she didn't survive." The nurse said, looking into Pseudo's eyes. He would've cried had he known who this woman was. He was still saddened, however, by her fate. "So… where is he now?" he asked nervously. "We moved him to the warehouse next-door. That is our main medical zone." The nurse said. Pseudo kissed her and ran off, leaving the confused nurse behind.

Pseudo was directed to the ward where his son lay, and saw that he was sleeping. "It's a wonder how you sleep through all that noise." He said to the baby. He watched as it laid still and sat back in a nearby chair. He exhaled a deep breath, finally feeling relaxed after many hours of tension. "Sir, could I have a word with you for a moment?" one of the doctors asked. "It's a lawless country." Pseudo said, as he went with them. "There still needs to be papers filed, such as social security, citizenship, health care…" the doctor began. "All for the 420 Republic, I assume?" Pseudo asked. The doctor paused and said "yes, of course for the Republic. You're not planning on moving anywhere else are you?" he asked. Pseudo shook his head. "No, and the Republic is gone. Trop is dead and so are all the other leading figures. Only a few Superadmins remain. So, therefore, until the Republic can prove that it hasn't fallen and that they can enforce law again, I will not be signing those papers. What I WILL sign, however, is the birth certificate." Pseudo said. The doctor looked at him for a full few seconds before replying. "There is none yet, there is still the issue of what the baby's name will be." The doctor said. Pseudo thought for a moment, and decided. "Scouty." He said, remembering his fallen friend.

**Epilogue: **The New Order

Several years later…

The city was finally repaired, as it flew a new flag: The Republic of New Bangclaw. The last surviving officers of the colonial armies created a constitution and set of laws to separate themselves from 420, which had turned from a Republic to a dictatorship under the rule of Trop's long-exiled brother, Kam. After a brief but bloody skirmish, independence was won, and the Republic was formed, with many other cities in the Colonies following suit. However, the new Overwatch Republic, led by Druid the Second (Fingerknitter re-named himself after a dispute with splinter groups), had various soured diplomatic meetings with the Church of Raptor Jesus, who was steadily gaining ground in the city. The Church was led by a group of old priests who had followed Scout and advised him. They had been convinced that the Church was not holding true to its purpose of saving souls since Scout had led it, and had now worked to undo the changes Scout had made. One of these changes was allowing Overwatch to remain in existence in any form, as they believed that Overwatch would ruin the city again. Thus, a war was started, with Druid II personally manning the walls with his force of soldiers. He fell in battle, thus ending the Overwatch legacy.

And thus Overwatch was finally destroyed. The Church consolidated on its victory, expanding control over the city. It seemed to many that they'd never see the day that a full revolution of politics took place here, but now that the Church had taken over, it seemed that finally they were going to experience peace and quiet for the rest of their lives. They didn't care what came ahead, as long as it was not war…


End file.
